People Gonna Talk
by JoyfulTemplar
Summary: One of National City's gossip mags gets a clear shot of Special Agent Alex Danvers evacuating Supergirl out of a Kryptonite irradiated area. A picture of the ensuing hug, then flight away, gets tongues wagging across the nation. Awkward about the tabloid discussion about the nature of their relationship, Kara and Alex must lay low and confront some long buried feelings. (Complete)
1. The Money Shot

Chapter One: The Money Shot

Alex really hated Maxwell Lord. If the prick had just kept his mouth shut she wouldn't be chasing a five ton monster through the streets of downtown National City. Alex pressed harder on the gas pedal and made a sharp turn on sixth avenue. She had a rocket launcher with Grog's name on it, all she had to do was corner him into position.

"Alpha One to Alpha Two, pull east fast we're going to pigeonhole him on Exposition Blvd," Alex calmly relayed through her comm. "Alpha One to Alpha Three, pull in from the west; keep it tight."

Alex peeled out in a circle to face the alien and slammed on her breaks. "Alpha Three to Alpha One, be advised we are ten seconds out from contact point," came a quick reply.

Alex jumped out of the driver's seat and hauled the bazooka up with her onto the roof of her tac SUV. "Roger that, Alpha Three."

Alex lined up her scope. Distantly she could hear a series of explosions; she really hoped Bravo team was having better luck then she was.

 _Ah, there he is._ The green gray monstrosity was running at her full speed, maybe a quarter of a mile downwind. "Alpha One to Alpha Two and Three. Be ready for emergency evacuation, peel off and stop suppressing fire on my mark."

Alex turned the safety off and waited. She inhaled and counted. _Five. Four_. "Three. Two. Mark!" Immediately the two shepherding vehicles turned sharply to get out of her range of fire. It was just her and the big guy now. _Three. Two. One_. _Fire!_

Alex was not exactly the biggest agent in the DEO; when the rocket left her bazooka the recoil knocked her on her ass and almost off of the roof of the car. Despite Alex's size she _was_ the best shot in the DEO. Her aim was straight and true, a direct hit to the head. The thunderous sound and heat of the impact did not feel pleasant. She wasn't sure if her comm was still active, because honestly she couldn't hear a damn thing right now. She shouted for a cleanup crew anyway.

"This is Alpha One. Confirmed contact. Enemy down; requesting full cleanup crew immediately on Exposition and Third." Alex could faintly hear confirmation from Vasquez through the ringing in her ears. Alpha Two and Three pulled up beside her SUV. The rank scent of burned alien flesh caused her stomach to turn as she gingerly climbed down from her perch, a junior agent with a medical bag meeting her halfway.

She could barely hear the shouted triage questions, but the disturbed look on Agent Lowry's face was enough to tell her she was missing an injury. Lowry quickly pried the comm out of her ear and Alex gasped in pain, she could feel the warm drip of blood escaping from her ears now. Whatever, she still had a job to do - busted eardrum or not.

She signed to Lowry and Agent Richards impatiently as she was forced to sit down and lean against the tire of her vehicle to be checked for a concussion. ' _Bravo Team, Status?'_

Lowry crouched down to wipe the blood off the side of her face, Richards must have taken pity on her because he countersigned. ' _No contact, status unknown.'_

 _Shit_.Kara had been with the Bravo Team to take down the horrific golem robot thing Lord cobbled together from scraps and bombs. There's no telling what Lord put in that damn Frankenstein monster of his, she needed to get to Bravo team and fast.

' _Last known location?'_ she signed.

' _32_ _nd_ _and Red River.'_

Alex nodded and took the gauze from Lowry.

"Secure the contact site, remove the remains immediately. I'm going to rendezvous with Bravo team." Alex stood and opened the driver's side door.

She was relieved when she heard the protest from Agent Lowry. "Ma'am, with all due respect you're in no condition to do anything."

Alex ignored her and buckled her seatbelt. "Your concern has been noted and taken into consideration, Agent Lowry. But we still have an active terror situation in progress, and it's my job to make sure we complete our objective. Now either get in or get out of the way."

Agent Lowry looked at her team leader who motioned her away, she would be more useful as a medic with Bravo team anyway. Lowry jumped in the passenger seat and barely had time to buckle her seat belt when Alex stomped on the gas for 32nd street.

Thankfully, most of the roads had been cleared by uniforms so she wasn't dodging any civilian traffic. "Hand me your comm, Lowry." The other woman hesitated before removing the earpiece and passing it to Alex.

Alex winced in discomfort as she slotted the plastic in place. "This is Alpha One in route to Bravo Team, patch me through to Bravo's channel please." Vasquez was a stickler for manners, whether she would admit it or not, and was more likely to cooperate if asked politely.

"Patching you through." It must be bad if Vasquez didn't have anything smart to quip back at her. Alex realized how bad as soon as the comms line switched over.

There were sporadic bursts of indistinct screaming and people shouting. Alex pressed harder on the gas, Lowry grabbing the support handle for balance beside her.

"Alpha One to Bravo Team, Bravo Team please respond." Nothing. Just random burst of static and noise. "Agent Danvers to allcon, please respond!" She said it with more force the second time, hoping the drill sergeant voice would snap an agent into responding. Sure enough a faint voice came through the other side of the line. "Vasquez can we clear up that sound please?"

The faint voice sharpened into quality and increased in volume. "Bravo Two to Agent Danvers, be advised the robot started some kind of countdown and released an unknown agent into the building it was hiding in. I've been evacuating civilians for the past ten minutes."

Alex could tell from the wet sound of Agent Reynolds voices that he had taken some kind of lung damage, Lowry looked distressed beside her. "Where is Supergirl?"

There was a long stretch of static then, "Unknown, she was engaged with the robot last time I saw her, but she fell when that substance was released. Bravo One and Three went to back her up, I lost all communication with them shortly thereafter."

 _Damnit!_ Alex slammed her hand on the edge of the steering wheel.

"Continue to evacuate the civilians, keep HQ posted on progress. I will extract our agents." Alex drove through the smoke billowing on 30th street and noticed the uniforms directing civilians out of the blast zone. Alex threw the car into park and reached for an additional side arm and an ammunitions sling.

"Lowry stay out of blast range, prepare for casualties. Do not follow." Lowry was young, barely out of med school; Alex wasn't about to risk losing their field doctor to a building collapse. Lowry protested loudly. "That's an order, Agent Lowry. Set up triage. Vasquez what's the ETA on reinforcements?"

"ETA 5 minutes."

Alex pulled her helmet and mask on in hopes that the mask would filter out the usual irritants. Lowry ran off to set up triage and direct civilians as Alex dodged a rain of broken glass that just hailed from above.

Even with a busted eardrum Alex could hear Agent Cooper's death cry as he was tossed out a seventh story window to the pavement next to Alex. "Bravo One down! Allcon pull back, pull back!"

Alex pushed forward into the building, the only thing she was focused on right now was getting Kara out. The fact that Kara didn't catch Cooper was telling to Alex. Kara needed help and she needed it now.

Alex sprinted and jumped up the crumbling stairwell; she could hear the sounds of something being slammed through walls. Alex busted the door to the seventh floor and gasped in horror. There was a massive hole leading three floors up and almost all of the interior walls were rubble. She could see where Agent Jimenez had been impaled on a broken support beam. The substance the robot had leaked was sickly green in color. Alex felt terror grip her heart like a vice. Her gun gripped painfully in her sweating hands. The floor reeked of the coppery scent of blood.

"KARA!"

Alex had little time to dodge Kara's limp body being thrown at her like a rag doll. Kara knocked through the wall behind Alex and didn't get up. The cyborg, glowing a sickly green, approached her slowly.

Alex wasn't sure exactly what happened next, but she was screaming in rage and raining bullets into the advancing machine. Alex, against all common sense, ran right at the target. She had to time this just right. Alex dodged some flying circuitry from the robot's chest. She scrambled to throw away her empty side arms and instead pulled one of the glowing grenades from her ammunitions sling.

If robots could feel surprise, then Lord's monster would definitely have been feeling it as the fleshbag charged it.

Alex armed the hybrid hand bomb with her teeth and tackled the machine, forcing the softball sized piece of polymer deep into its exposed wiring. Alex braced herself and activated the first level of the bomb. Arcs of pure energy encased Alex's hand and the torso of the robot, both of them thrashed and screamed as thousands of volts of electricity raced through them.

Alex, in a great show of will, activated the second level of the hand bomb. She ripped her hand back and pushed the thrashing robot to the opposite side of the building and away from the triage unit.

 _Five. Four._ Alex had to time this just right or the damn thing would explode in her face or damage things below. _Three_. Alex used a nearby chair like a bat to knock the cyborg out the window. _Two._ _One_. _Detonate_. The explosion rocked the building dangerously.

Alex had already turned back towards the prone superhero. What a damn mess, she thought. Alex wasn't sure if she was talking about herself of Kara right now. Alex checked for a pulse and was relieved to find a sluggish heartbeat. She needed to get Kara out of this poison fast.

Alex considered her options briefly. The stairwell had crumbled into dust as Alex had climbed them earlier. She was seven stories up with her only method of flight unconscious. _Time for Plan C, then_. Alex pulled the grappling anchor she had out of her tac pack and threaded an extra rope in preparation for their descent. She hooked the anchor around one of the last remaining support beams and tugged to test the hold. It would do. Alex grabbed Kara roughly, shuffling her limp body into a fireman carry.

Alex didn't look back as she lowered herself down the smooth side of the building. Alex's iron clad grip on Kara kept them from separating in the wind. With the ease of someone in shock and years of training, Alex repelled down the building as fast as she could. They had almost made it to the ground when the final blast of a bomb detonated above them, severing Alex's rope. They fell the last story down.

Alex laid stunned underneath Kara's weight. They weren't out of the blast zone yet. She peeled the helmet and mask off, panting. With great effort Alex stood and picked Kara up bridal style and limped towards the triage unit. Behind her a great ball of flame exploded and engulfed the building, but Alex's eyes never left Kara's unconscious face. The anguish Alex was feeling was choking her.

Mercifully, the support unit had arrived. Kara's eyes fluttered open and Alex held back a sob. A tear escaped as Kara's eyes focused in on Alex. Kara's eyes said everything. _You came back for me. You saved me._ Kara raised a weak hand to wipe away Alex's tears and gently cupped the side of her face to cover the blood tracks left by her ear injury.

They cried together as Alex pulled Kara tight to her chest and kneeled down. "I will always come back for you, Kara. Always."

Kara buried her head into Alex's neck. "I love you."

 _I love you too_ , went unsaid because Lowry was pulling them towards the medevac copter. Alex didn't let go of Kara until they were high in the air and they moved the portable sun lamps to rejuvenate Kara. Alex blacked out still holding Kara's hand.

Miles away, back at the bomb site, a lone photographer reviewed her photos from today's drama. She was thrilled to see the crystal clear picture of the dark haired woman who had pulled Supergirl from the wreckage. 'That's it,' she thought with a smile "I've got the Money Shot."

End Chapter One

Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for reading. Huge thanks to Beaglesinbowties for acting as my beta, I really appreciate it. Let me know if you like the story, constructive criticism welcome. Updates will hopefully happen every other day depending on my university load. I have little background in paramilitary combat procedures but here are some jargon translations for the curious:

· Allcon = all concerned, everyone who is involved, used when speaking to a large group of people but what you're saying is only relevant to certain people.

· ETA = estimated time of arrival

· Fireman carry = the military's preferred method of transporting casualties. Places the weight of carry on the back rather than the arms of the carrier.

· Medevac = medical evacuation

· Triage = the process of determining the severity of injuries among a large amount of casualties. Triage can also be referring to a mobile emergency medical service.


	2. Agent X

Chapter Two: Agent X

-Late Wednesday Night, Early Thursday Morning: Catco-

Cat Grant had hit a goldmine. She normally didn't give those hacks at the Gawker the time of day, but one of their best photographers had stopped her on her way home from the office. The photographer promised an exclusive that would shake up how the world saw Supergirl, and the woman **delivered**.

After a heavy copyright transfer fee, Cat Grant was now the proud owner of three incredible photos of the incident at Lord Industries downtown office that occurred earlier that day. Cat was going to have them run in the next news cycle update on the Trib website and have it sent to the printers as soon as possible - but the content of these photo's required careful attention. One wrong step and Cat would ruin Supergirl's marketability.

Oh no, she had a particular narrative in mind. She could almost smell the Pulitzer.

Cat sent a quick text to Kara to bring her a change of clothes when she came into work in the morning and two extra shots in her latte, it was going to be a long night. Before she could craft the story, Cat needed to know her characters and the timeline of events. Thankfully, some of those things Cat already had access to.

Cat leaned back in her office chair and observed the digital high res version of the three photos on her personal display behind her desk. Cat had two reporters on duty when the situation went live shortly after lunch. Lauren and Melissa were senior features writers for the Tribune, and relatively decent at their jobs. Lauren had followed the huge gloopy alien monstrosity that tore up Exposition Blvd. Despite the Hollywood-level car chase through downtown, her article was severely lacking anything substantial. Readers liked action and conspiracy stories more than cheap fast food, and Cat was going to feed it to them.

At least Lauren had managed to get a few good shots of the men in black that had subdued the monster. Originally, Cat had barely given the photos a second glance, but now Cat could clearly see that the sniper that had been posted on top of the armored SUV several blocks away from the monster was her mysterious Agent. The woman's distinctive red X on her tac vest set her apart from her anonymous coworkers. The woman had shot a rocket to the monster's face with only half a city block between them. The explosion had apparently destroyed the head of the monster, and injured the woman. Human, then.

Cat shuffled the following photos of other agents swarming the area, two of them crowding her girl with medical gear, blocking her view. Then the last photos of her Agent yelling out a command or something and pointing in the general direction of the Lord downtown building. The Agent and the smaller medic drove away from the scene and out of sight of Lauren's camera. The other photos were just the ghastly remains of the monster being airlifted out of the city and the decontamination process. _Interesting_.

Cat noted the time stamps on the photos and taped a few on a whiteboard she had in the back of her office. Okay, so before her girl was rescuing Cat's wayward superhero, she blasted an alien to bits and saved the nearby market district from severe property damage, if not bystander casualties.

So where was her caped creation when Gloop the Monster decided to try and wreck downtown?

Cat opened the folder she had received from her second field reporter Melissa. Cat had dispatched Melissa to the Lord office building in hopes the girl's natural charm would be able to get a couple good quotes from the notoriously tight lipped Lord employees. Cat had once witnessed Melissa convince an entire auditorium to donate to Catco's annual charity drive - without preparation - with nothing but some sly words and a wink.

Kara had told her ages ago that Cat was wasting Melissa in the features department when she should clearly replace the current CatCo talk show host the board had placed after Cat finished her stint on daytime TV. Maybe Kara was right because the article submitted to her was too choppy to read, and there was no additional photography except for the ruins of the building after the final explosion. Melissa did get a few eyewitness testimonies for the article which Cat would recycle into their main feature.

Cat placed the photograph of the rubble at the far end of the whiteboard, then the grainy image of a helicopter flying away at the very end of her timeline. Cat pulled the cap off her marker with her teeth and drew a long horizontal line in red higher up, just below the pictures, then a black line beneath that, and finally a blue line below that. Red would be her new 007's timeline, blue would be Supergirl's, and black would be the combined finalized timeline. With a smirk Cat got to work filling in the details. The archived footage from the Catcopter was particularly useful for timestamping.

It only took her a few hours of rewatching the grainy iPhone videos, CatCo material, and eyewitness testimony to put together a working and believable timeline.

Around 1:00 pm yesterday afternoon, Gloop the monster and his robot friend escaped from Lord Industries downtown office. Gloop made a run for it and the robot decided to terrorize the building it had been imprisoned in for so long. The Agent had followed the monster with a small squad of SUVs, and Supergirl had engaged the robot with a group of agents.

While the Agent was blasting the monster to bits, Supergirl was exposed to some sort of green toxin and went down hard from the roof through the building. As the building was evacuated by another agent, the Agent appear with a medic in tow and raced to the building. Another unfortunate agent dropped from the sky and landed near her as she sprinted into the crumbling building wearing a mask.

For several moments there was nothing but glass and debris coming off the building at alarming rates. Then a huge window shattered; the robot was launched from the building and fell like a stone for a second before exploding into scrap metal.

A minute later the Agent rappelled down the safer side of the building with nothing but a thin rope and an unconscious superhero. One of the last explosions severed the rope, causing the two to fall to the ground. The Agent tore her helmet off and picked Supergirl up bridal style to carry her to safety.

Cat focused on her newly obtained photos next; they said more than the three thousand words Cat had planned to include in the article.

The first photo was of the Agent looking down at Supergirl and holding her tightly - it could hardly be construed as anything but romantic. The sheer look of relief, fear, and love etched on to the woman's face could not be faked. What surprised Cat the most was the way Supergirl looked back at the Agent.

Cat has had the pleasure of private conversations with Supergirl in the past, and she likes to think she's somewhat of an expert on the Kryptonian. Cat had seen Supergirl happy, sad, angry, relieved, determined, fearful, and everything in between; but Cat had never seen that look of pure adoration on the girl's face before.

The photo of Supergirl gently reaching out and cupping the Agent's cheek was so intimate that Cat felt like a voyeur for the first time since she had begun her career as a writer.

Cat had reviewed the grainy video of the few words exchanged between the Agent and Supergirl - she could plainly see Supergirl saying 'I love you' to her savior before pulling herself up by the edge of the Agent's tac vest to obscure their faces.

The last photo was the two entwined in their intimate embrace; the kiss couldn't be seen itself, but body language betrayed everything.

The words exchanged in the video would not be going in her article - not at least until Cat had a chance to discuss how to approach coming out as a celebrity with Supergirl. It was a very delicate process, and the girl had no idea how cruel the media could truly become.

Cat had her timeline, now she needed to characterize her players. Supergirl was a familiar voice, her strident wholesome appeal was easy to understand and write. The Agent, however, was a complete unknown.

Who is she? What is her job? What is the nature of her relationship with Supergirl? As a writer it was a blessing to have a blank slate, but her girl would need a name and a story.

Cat dragged her finger slowly across the whiteboard below the pictures and stared at the highest quality photo of the woman. It bothered Cat how familiar this woman seemed to her; had she met this agent before without realizing it? Cat studied her well defined facial features, the hazel eyes, and bobbed hair before letting her eyes linger on the uniform. The Agent's uniform betrayed her rank. Clearly, this woman was high up in the men-in-black's hierarchy to have an alternate uniform. The tactical vest was a different style and had a strange red X crossed over the chest to the back. What the symbol meant was unknown, but it inspired an idea in Cat.

Cat pulled up the archived footage of Supergirl's past battles on her computer. Sure enough, almost every time Supergirl engaged a major target, the mysterious agent appeared as the lead support.

The X didn't appear until after the Senator Crane incident, and Cat wasn't sure what the connection was between the appearance of the marker and the event. Well the woman _would_ need a name, and Cat was all about branding. The X would be a trademark for the Agent, a way to stand out in the crowd. Agent. X. _Agent X_.

Sometimes even Cat was surprised at her bright ideas. Agent X it was then, a play on the interesting fashion choice and the lack of real identity.

Cat had her characters, now it was time to write a masterpiece. Cat would do this old school. A Mont Blanc fountain pen and good stationery paper for the first draft. The Agent and the Alien.

Cat thought about her options. Cat didn't want to write anything that might cause Supergirl's ability to perform as a hero to be called into question. To insinuate that Supergirl couldn't rescue herself would only lead to bad press. If she couldn't bring Supergirl down to mortality, she would have to raise Agent X to godhood. Equals could save each other from dire situations. Partners could work together, their strengths covering the other's weaknesses.

Cat's pen flew across the paper. The symmetry of their partnership: the shadow partner finally drawn into the light, human to Alien, dark to color. The anonymous agent to the awe inspiring hero.

The beauty of it all was that Agent X proved that humanity was capable of saving themselves _and_ their superpowered protectors from harm.

Agent X could be the everyman, that's what made her so special. X could be anyone, a neighbor, a friend, a co-worker. She was a kind of audience replacement that would be appealing to readers.

This dark haired Agent pulled their beloved patron from the wreckage of a major battle and protected her from a bomb blast when she was down. Cat would imprint the woman into the hearts of America. Cat owed that to Supergirl at least - to have the nation love her partner as much as she did.

-Late Wednesday Night, Early Thursday Morning: DEO-

Kara had been here before. The feeling of sand felt familiar beneath her bare feet. The wet, smoky smell of a just burned out fire and the stench of cheap beer had been burned into her memory. She shouldn't be here. She knew that vicious sound of high tide rolling in mixed with a clap of thunder.

 _No. No. No._ Kara was moving as fast as she could but was barely moving. Kara heard a scream. She wasn't sure if it was her own or one of her classmates that she had pulled from the waves.

"Kara! Help!" Kara turned towards the waves again and sluggishly fished Aaron out of the water. He coughed up sea water next to the ruined remains of the bonfire. Kara gripped his shoulders and shouted, "Where is she!" shaking him out of his stupor.

 _Sir, her heart rate is rising dangerously._

"Help me, Kara!" Kara dropped him like a sack of potatoes. She had a headcount; nine of the upperclassmen had come to the bonfire, but Kara had only seven shivering in front of her in various states of half drowned teenager.

Kara took off, not caring if her feet lifted from the ground a little too much. Where were was she?

"Kara! Help!" Kara oriented herself off of Hannah's scream and found her nearly quarter of a mile away, pushed up against the rocks by the tide. Alex's arm was thrown around Hannah's shoulders, her head barely above the water, and unconscious.

Kara blindly grabbed for them, her feet chipping into the slick rock for a foothold. Kara fished them out by their arms, lightning striking the ground not far from them. Hannah scrambled on her hands and knees up the rocks away and from the rising tide as soon as Kara snatched Alex from her arms.

"ALEX!" Kara was screaming at her to wake up as she lifted them to safety, Hannah's back turned and disappeared in the rain ahead. Kara could hear Alex's slow heartbeat, the blood rushing through her veins, to that weeping head wound. Lightning struck again.

 _Sedate her_.

Thunder rumbled. She had to get Alex to the hospital.

She tried to fly but only fell, weighed down by something she couldn't see. Kara could barely see ahead because it was raining so hard.

Kara clutched Alex tightly to her chest; she was cold and shivering even in unconsciousness. Kara blinked and stepped forward into sheets of rain. She had to save Alex.

The rain made it impossible to see. She held onto Alex desperately, then closed her eyes and didn't open them again.

* * *

Agent Lowry had taken Agent Danvers into surgery immediately once they passed through security checks. The on-site medical team split, each taking one of the wounded Danvers away.

Kara needed more than just sunlamps right now from the way she was thrashing in pain.

Alex was bleeding all over Dr. Henderson's operating theater. Agent Danvers's injuries were severe. The electrical damage was causing her to twitch on the table, her right hand was a mess of blood and broken bones, and surprisingly the concussive damage done to her ears was the last thing the medical team was worried about right now.

They worked on the wrist first; emergency ear surgery was best done when the patient wouldn't twitch while sedated. Another doctor was mixing something to help with the seizing.

Lowry picked bits of metal out of Agent Danvers's knuckles. _What had she done, punched the robot to death_?

Agent Danvers had to have been in severe pain as she was rappelling down the side of the godforsaken building. Lowry knew Agent Danvers was a badass, but she had a feeling this stunt would skyrocket Danvers to legend status within the DEO. _A big damn hero_ , she thought as she slipped back into surgery mode and got to work.

* * *

Supergirl was an absolute mess, slipping in and out of coherency. Her suit was shredded, deep claw like gashes that had yet to heal were staining the deep blue of her top a worrying shade of purple. They would have to trash the suit, it was ruined. They chose to leave her in the matching sports bra and bike shorts she had been wearing under the suit, and went to work picking small bits of Kryptonite out of her wounds. Or at least they tried; Kara kept crying out and thrashing in her feverish state for Agent Danvers. Several of the medical displays around the doctors began to beep wildly.

"Sir, her heart rate is rising dangerously."

Since Supergirl was a Kryptonian, most sedatives wouldn't work on her as her body would metabolize them too fast. They had an experimental sedative that they had been working on, an alternative for Kryptonite use in cases of emergencies like this, but the team had to have verbal approval from either Agent Danvers or Director Henshaw before they could even attempt to put Supergirl under.

Kara cried out again, this time sounding like an anguished wail that reverberated throughout the underground base. Director Henshaw winced from his perch on the catwalk above the operating theater.

"Sedate her."

* * *

Once the initial excitement had died down, Henshaw reviewed the case in front of him. Lord was denying having anything to do with either monster, crediting their creation to misguided employees.

"Slimy bastard will probably get away with it too," he murmured.

One day he was just going to let Agent Danvers disappear Lord like she had asked after he threatened Kara and her mother. Hank had two good agents die because of this scumbag. _God_ , he did not want to have to break the news to Agent Jimenez's wife.

He checked his watch. It was late in the night, but he knew the Danvers; they would be up and about terrorizing his staff sometime tomorrow. They had both been helicoptered in injured and covered in grime. No doubt the medical staff had burned the contaminated clothing. As amusing as it would be to watch Supergirl run around his base in the DEO issued sweats they kept on hand, Hank really didn't want to look at the pouting faces when they realized they would have to wear uncomfortable government issued clothes.

Hank sighed. "The things I do for these kids". He needed someone discreet for this mission. He had spent enough time in Agent Danvers's mind to know how delicate this situation was at the moment. He needed someone who would keep their judgements to themselves while Hank sorted things out. Thankfully, he knew just the spook for the job.

"Agent Collins, report to my office immediately." Hank lifted his finger off the base intercom button and wrote down a list of items Agent Collins would need to collect. He jumped slightly when he turned to find the woman in question standing at attention just a hair too close.

"Damnit Collins, I'm going to put a bell on you." He had personally recruited Collins from the State Department, where she had been wasting her talents skulking about foreign politician's homes and offices.

"You called for me, Sir?" It was a question, but the tone Collins used made it sound more like he should have expected this. _Smart Alec_. She was smirking too, just slightly.

He was running a circus full of teenagers; he swore one of these days his agents were going to give him gray hair or a heart attack. "Yes, I have a small mission that requires the utmost discretion, and I know I can count on you, Collins."

The slim woman preened at the words. A compliment went a long way with his team. "Whatever you need, Sir."

Hank smiled and handed her the list of items.

She read them quickly to herself and narrowed her eyes in confusion. "You need me to pick up Agent Danvers's laundry?"

Hank wanted to laugh. Oh she had no idea what she was getting into. "And Supergirl's. You have three hours, that should be plenty of time."

She folded the paper carefully and stowed it in front pocket. She schooled her face to her usual neutral look and nodded. "I will see to it."

' _I won't say a word. Supergirl will always be safe with me. And I would never cross Agent Danvers.'_ Hank removed himself from her thoughts, satisfied with her discretion.

"Then you are dismissed." Hank turned and let the woman soundlessly leave his office. _I wonder if Agent Collins likes art?_

* * *

Honestly Sarah Collins wasn't sure why she had been pulled for this errand. Any probie agent could pick up a change of clothes for a coworker.

Collins hesitated in front of Agent Danvers's door. The senior agent lived in a large apartment complex, the kind where no one would notice your odd hours and long absences. Collins could have pulled Agent Danvers's keys from her locker, but old habits die hard and instead she deftly picked the lock.

For being such a high profile agent, her security system was incredibly lax since Sarah entered the small apartment without being accosted. Collins glanced around for the bedroom, but paused her steps when her eyes passed over the kitchen. Moving soundlessly, Collins ran a finger over the four seat dining table, coming away with a layer of dust.

 _Jesus, did this woman ever come home_? Some of the younger Agents joked that Agent Danvers must live at the DEO with the hours she kept, and maybe there was some truth to that statement.

Ever the voyeur, Collins opened the fridge. She was only half surprised to find a sidearm and ammo in one of the drawers, and a couple kinds of condiments on the door space. The freezer supplied only a couple of ice packs and an expired box of fish sticks.

 _Takeout queen, then_. Collins snooped through the kitchen cabinets and found one lonely set of Target brand utensils and an unopened box labeled cookware which had probably been sitting there since she had moved in.

 _Now this is just sad_. Sarah made a little note in her field journal to buy Danvers a damn cookbook for Christmas. How the woman didn't have scurvy by now, she'll never know.

Collins pulled herself away from the depressing kitchen, a little sad she couldn't pilfer a snack, and resumed her trek to the closed bedroom door. Collins paused and put her ear to the door. Danvers was a genius; Collins wouldn't put it past her to have some sort of debilitating assassin catcher active in her bedroom. She turned the knob till the door was propped open, then used an abandoned broom to push the door in from a safe distance.

Nothing happened. Collins cautiously walked forward into the room. _Ah, there it is_.

A display on the wall showed Collins face, DEO ID, and clearly labelled in green as 'non threat'. At least the woman had some kind of security system. The room itself disturbed Collins as the area had no personality. She slowly turned to take it all in.

The bed was made to military precision. The dresser also had a layer of dust settled on it. There was nothing in this room that said Alex Danvers lived here except for a hyper realistic painting of the Danvers family, placed like a photo on the bedside table. The room reminded Collins of a hotel rather than a personal bedroom.

Curious, Collins pulled the bedside table drawers open, hoping to find something of interest. She had discovered a lot about past targets from what they kept in their bedside drawers. She was half hoping to find something kinky just to confirm Agent Danvers was a human and not a very lifelike cyborg. The bottom drawer was empty, and the top drawer held another secured sidearm.

Collins rolled her eyes in half disappointment half exasperation. _Vasquez is right, Danvers needs to get out more_.

Collins dumped an empty duffle bag on the bed and opened the dresser. There wasn't a lot of clothes here, not even work clothes. She pulled a pair of old faded jeans with paint splattered on them, an old T-Shirt that said Danvers 07 on the back and a school emblem on the front, some underwear, and a thin Stanford sweatshirt. The woman had no socks in her apartment, at least none that Collins could find.

The closet held a couple of untouched dresses still in their department store tags and a heavy winter coat. Collins searched for a normal pair of shoes, completely confused why Agent Danvers would have so many high heels and dresses, she didn't seem like the type. Not to mention the woman hardly spent time away from the DEO. Collins managed to find a beat up pair of converse and chucked them into the duffle bag. She didn't bother with toiletries since she knew Danvers had a complete hygiene kit in her locker.

 _What a strange place, it's like she doesn't live here at all_. Collins sighed and took a note to come back with groceries and a duster before Agent Danvers was ordered to Stand Down. Collins turned off the lights and disappeared in the shadows. Hopefully, Supergirl's apartment would be more interesting.

* * *

Breaking into Supergirl's apartment was technically not necessary since she did in fact have a key, but Collins heard the neighbors nosing around in the hallway so she decided to take a subtler approach through the slightly open window.

The fact that the window was four stories up didn't bother Collins, the brick side of the building left plenty of footholds as she free climbed.

Collins rolled through the window, exhaling quietly with exertion. Collins had landed in the living room - which was probably bigger than Agent Danvers's entire apartment. First thing Collins noticed was the heavy scent of eucalyptus, probably some kind of air freshener. There was a nice T.V., two well used couches, and a coffee table covered in spare issues of Catco magazine. _Interesting choice of reading material_. The whole apartment screamed that an artsy millennial lived here.

Collins was relieved; at least Supergirl had a nice place. Collins skipped the kitchen entirely. She could already tell it was fully stocked and well used considering the slight mess.

There was a door slightly down the hall past the half bath that she assumed led to the master bedroom. Opposite the half bath was another closed door. Above the bedroom was a loft of some kind; Collins had always wondered what Supergirl kept in her lair so she decided to check the loft first.

She eased open the door with gloved hands and slowly entered open space. Collins didn't know what she was expecting, but it wasn't this. Apparently, Supergirl did have a hobby outside of catching aliens and saving cats from trees. The scent of paint was heavy in the air of the room. Collins forgot how to breathe for a second as she flicked on the lights to see the artwork in full color - and it wasn't from the paint fumes. It was beautiful.

 _She must make a fortune on these things_. Stacks of finished canvases were propped on the far wall, and the side wall held every kind of art supply a person could possibly want. Collins walked in farther and turned to face the door. She dropped the duffle bag she was holding in surprise.

The wall held four canvases, with space for a fifth at the far end. An incomplete collection. Mouth open slightly in surprise, Collins hovered near the fourth canvas, her eyes tracing the halo of light and exploding planet in the background.

 _Is this how Supergirl sees Agent Danvers? Some kind of Savior?_ Technically, Agent Danvers had saved her today, and plenty of times in the past. But this? Collins was a voyeur, but even she felt her cheeks heat up looking at the series.

Collins turned away towards the actual painting area where a canvas was propped on an easel facing away from the door. A gasp escaped her lips. Supergirl had painted a beautiful rendition of Agent Danvers's profile, her face and eyes angled upward towards some unseen light. It was incredible the level of detail and stylization in the portrait; Collins didn't even know Agent Danvers had freckles.

Collins tried to remember how Agent Danvers knew Supergirl as she waded her way back to the door through piles of stacked sketchbooks. Collins knew Supergirl's name was Kara, but the connection slipped her mind. The Director and Agent Danvers had been not explained the details of Alex's prior acquaintance with Kara. _Vasquez would know_.

Collins was an infiltrator, not a combat specialist, so she rarely overlapped with Agent Danvers on missions. Somehow, Alex Danvers was able to keep her relationship with Supergirl a secret. How hadn't she noticed the lingering looks and touches before?

They must have been in a long term relationship for a while now. They moved with the ease of a couple who had been together so long they could just anticipate each other's needs. Agent Danvers uncharacteristic displays of breaking protocol and emotional distance while at work suddenly made sense. Sending a partner to face unknown enemies must be excruciating, especially if one of them got hurt.

Collins had reviewed the footage from Agent Danvers's helmet cam with the rest of the base. It was something of a tradition among the lower level agents to review her eye level cam after missions. The review session typically involved popcorn and waxed poetic ramblings about Agent Danvers perfect fighting form.

The footage from the incident showed Danvers throwing herself at that Frankenstein's robot and purposefully electrocuting herself to take out the enemy. She had then cradled and fussed over Supergirl's condition before rappelling away. The footage played out like an action movie, especially once Vasquez spliced in the footage from the fallen agents prior to Agent Danvers's arrival. Collins didn't think she could put herself through that kind of pain just to take out an enemy.

 _Love makes people risk everything_ , she mused. _Makes them act first, think second, and damn the consequences_.

The only reason Supergirl had even come out was because of the bomb that almost taken down Agent Danvers's plane. Supergirl had carried an entire Boeing on her back for Agent Danvers. Supergirl had never interfered before that incident, not during the earthquake two years ago, or that forest fire that killed eight people in September. So it had to have been Alex Danvers that caused Supergirl to reveal herself to the world.

Collins felt emotion surge up from her stomach to her cheeks. _Who would have thought such a romantic love story lay hidden behind the masks of duty and destiny_?

Collins shook herself out of her stupor. It really wasn't her place to comment on her coworker's relationships. She was never one to indulge in water cooler gossip. Collins entered the spare bedroom and was unsurprised to find a good deal of Agent Danvers actual wardrobe in the dresser and closet. A set of Alex's work uniform was neatly folded in the dresser - along with all the socks that were missing from her apartment.

The bed was made and looked like it hadn't been slept in a while. It probably hadn't. Collins, feeling a little like she had solved a big mystery, opened the master bedroom to pull some clothes for Supergirl.

She almost immediately regretted intruding upon the space. The room was decorated in shades of blue and cream. The room felt private, like she was disturbing some sort of sacred ground.

It was tranquil in the bedroom, and Collins noted she couldn't hear any ambient outside noise. _Soundproofing_? Collins tried not to flush at the implication. Both sides of the king bed had been slept in. Agent Danvers's reading glasses laid on top of one of the bedside tables, along with a book on biochemistry. _Nerd_.

Kara's side just had an empty cup and a smashed alarm clock. Super strength had its drawbacks.

Collins found a much preppier wardrobe in the master bedroom closet that must have belonged to Supergirl because Collins had never seen Agent Danvers wear pastel, not even undercover. She thumbed through the nice dresses and button downs before deciding on comfier clothing. Kryptonite poisoning probably called for comfy jammies. Collins found a well-loved pair of sweatpants that she was half sure had originally been Agent Danvers's, a t-shirt with the Supergirl crest on it, and a set of cute pastel pink underwear. The preppy wardrobe suited the superhero's sunny personality. Collins abandoned her perusal of Supergirl's underwear drawer and moved on to the bathroom.

She immediately noticed the two toothbrushes propped near the sink, two different sets of shampoo brands, and two sets of towels. Why bother keeping the other apartment if Alex clearly lived here? Maybe it was so if they had a fight, they could separate for a short period of time. Sarah grabbed both of the tooth brushes and a of couple assorted toiletries before exiting.

Now facing the door, Collins stared at the final piece of art mounted on the wall. It was Kara and Alex smiling wide, wearing what Collins was going to guess was some kind of Kryptonian formal wear, dancing in the sunlight. It was carefree, but the way the two flowed together was telling. This was probably one of their wedding photos Kara had repainted, their jewelry was matching. _A Kryptonian wedding, wonder what that's like._

Collins made her way through the apartment, thoughtfully turning off each light source, and dumping some empty cups in the sink. Satisfied her mission was complete, Collins rappelled down the side of the apartments easily, and drove back to base with an hour to spare. She could see now why Director Henshaw had assigned her to this mission. Collins might be a snoop, but she never compromised information, ever. At least Danvers would have someone else who knew her secret. Though Agent Danvers notoriously guarded her space and privacy, maybe they could be friends.

Collins adjusted the radio, looking for the smooth jazz station but pausing on the twenty-four hour news.

"In breaking news this morning, Supergirl and her mysterious Agent X make headlines across the nation. Tune in and find out what everyone's favorite Super has been up to, coming up next!" Collins shakily turned off the radio and dialed for Vasquez.

"V. Turn on the news. I think we have a problem."

* * *

End Chapter Two

* * *

Author's Note: Holy moly guys, sorry it took so long to update. I'm in the middle of a big policy project for one of my University classes, so I haven't had a lot of free time. Huge shout out to my incredible beta Beaglesinbowties for all their hard work. This chapter was really difficult for me to write because it doesn't focus on Kara or Alex directly. I'm not overly fond of filler chapters, but I felt like it would be necessary contrast two strangers opinions on the same relationship based on the information available to them. Next Chapter will be primarily Kara focused, with a little Alex at the end. I hope you enjoyed! Constructive comments are appreciated! -AJ


	3. The Sleeper Awakens

Chapter Three: The Sleeper Awakens

She felt the tide pull her under again. She was swimming helplessly to the surface of the waves; her body was weighed down, and her arms struggled to move. Alex couldn't breathe. _Kara_. She'd been here before. Alex tried not to panic, she was so close to the surface she could her the murky sounds of a conversation above her. _Almost there_ , her arms broke the surface and her eyes opened with a gasp.

A hand steadied her from the jack knifed position back to a more restful one. Alex blearily searched for the source of the hand, her eyes opening and closing rapidly in the dim room.

"Kara?"

The hand rested on her shoulder comfortingly. "Just me I'm afraid, Agent Danvers. Supergirl is recovering in the sunroom." _Oh_. Alex blinked the lingering anesthesia from her eyes and Maura came into focus, looking very tired in scrubs and her lab coat. A bright light shone in her eyes without warning.

The squeal Alex let out was definitely not badass. "Dr. Henderson!"

"Hm, looks like Dr. Lowry was right; no concussion, thankfully. How are you feeling on a scale of one to I just punched a robot in the face? Can you hear me okay?" Maura's sense of humor was a little morbid, which is probably why she and Alex got along so well. Alex tracked Maura's hands as the prodded the sterile bandage above the cast that covered her right arm from knuckle to just below the elbow. Alex winced in pain.

"I'm at about 'just went a bout with an Alacorian with no backup', and yes I can hear you fine." Alex regretted referencing her rookie mistake that had landed her in the operating theater the first time almost immediately. Maura smirked and reached into the medicine cabinet for a sterile syringe and her specialty concentrated cocktail of antibiotics and pain relievers.

"Maura, please not the Ambrosia mix. I'll be tripping over my feet and craving donuts for days. I'm fine, or even just regular morphine if you are insistent." The Ambrosia was the medical department's crown jewel. Alex herself had done some bio-engineering on the project, so she was well aware of how potent the drug was - and the weird craving for donuts that came with it.

Ambrosia was an all in one regenerative drug that was designed to be an comprehensive rescue shot in the field. Alex had the dubious pleasure of experiencing its effects in the past, and she was not eager to repeat the experience. That was the one downside to the miracle drug: the crash afterwards almost made you wish that you had the original pain back. It was specifically designed to do that to prevent agents from accidentally becoming addicted to the medicine.

Maura ignored her and drew 25 ccs of the medicine, and then deftly stuck it in Alex's IV tap and pushed the plunger. Alex felt the warmth of the medicine immediately causing her face to flush. Maura serenely leaned over Alex's prone form and pulled the blanket up tighter, tucking the younger agent in like a small child. Alex fought the urge to close her eyes. It was possible to fight the effects of the painkiller and stay awake; it wouldn't make for a very good field drug if it knocked the agent out immediately.

"That was for your own good. I just spent seven hours in surgery repairing your eardrums and trying to salvage your arm, not to mention the electrical damage. In my report I'm including the recommendation to pull the static frag grenade from the R&D lineup. Lowry spent 4 hours alone digging little slivers of metal out of your hand. And don't think I'm not pissed at you for all this. When you're discharged and put on Stand Down, you and I are going to have a long conversation about recklessly throwing yourself at enemies in the field." Maura's voice was tight with muted anger and exasperation. The older woman adjusted the protective covering on Alex's ears to check the integrity of the seal. The heat on Alex's cheeks wasn't just from the medicine anymore, and the flush traveled up her neck and down her chest. Alex hated disappointing Maura.

"You promised me you were going to be more careful in the field." Alex inhaled deeply, trying to maintain her composure at the other woman's quiet dressing down. Honestly, Maura could give a worse lecture than her own mother.

"I didn't mean…what was I supposed to do, let that thing kill Kara?" Maura turned her back on Alex and began to walk towards the door, not wanting to get into an argument.

"Of course not, but you acted completely irrationally. Your devotion to Supergirl is going to get you killed one day. Alex, I'm too old to be investing my time and energy into just any of these recruits here, I learned not to get attached years ago in the Army. But I'll be damned if I lose you now. I've spent years mentoring you and I'm not going to let your obsession with protecting Kara consume you. I've recommended you for a psych eval before I sign off on returning you to the field. Rest up, I'll check in on you in a few hours."

Maura's flat tone made Alex squirm in discomfort; Maura had taken her under her wing the moment she entered the labs at the DEO. At first she had assumed Maura would lose interest after the first few times the Chief of Medicine colluded with R&D to assign Alex impossible deadlines and projects. However, Alex had refused to back down and fought hard to finish whatever they threw at her, no matter how long it took or how difficult the project. Alex's perseverance and meticulous attention to detail had impressed Maura.

Despite being notoriously standoffish with her younger subordinates, Maura had seen something in Alex and decided it was worth the time and effort to mentor her. Alex had blossomed under Maura's watchful eye from Probationary Agent all the way to Operations Commander.

This wasn't the first or the second time they've had this conversation, and now Maura had made good on her promise to send her to psych if she didn't start taking care of herself more.

Alex felt like someone had scrubbed her nerves raw with wet sand. She felt open and exposed, and honestly she was still in pain. She only wanted one thing, but Maura might just kill her if she tried to get out of bed. Alex looked at the digital clock on the wall and then to her own vital monitors, searching for an identifying feature to the room. The style of the air vents gave away her position. She was in one of the recovery rooms near the main med bay. The sunroom was several corridors away, with heavy agent traffic in between them.

She was going to need an accomplice.

As if summoned by Alex's sheer force of will, there was a knock on the door. Agent Lowry entered the room, tucking a wild curl that had escaped her bun back into place with an annoyed huff. She looked freshly showered and was wearing clean scrubs. Alex had never been so glad to see her combat medic before this very moment.

Lowry looked up from whatever paperwork she was signing on her tablet and jumped when she noticed Alex's intense stare. She clutched the tablet to her chest and took a breath.

"Agent Danvers! You're awake. I didn't think you would wake up until this afternoon, but it looks like Chief was right. How are you feeling?" Alex studied her features closely, Dr. Lowry was one of those genius kids that had graduated from med school at like eighteen and somehow got conned into working for the government. Technically, Alex herself was one of those genius kids if you swapped the M.D. for her Ph.D., but that was beside the point. Lowry looked like she was maybe just old enough to drink, but had probably more emergency medicine experience than most E.R. heads. Lowry's sweet young face was going to be her ticket out of this jail cell.

"Jennifer! Just the doctor I was hoping for!" Alex completely ignored the question about her pain and cheerfully greeted her teammate. Lowry stuttered to a halt, blushing at the unusually perky greeting; Alex couldn't actually tell because of the combination of the dim lighting and the dark shade of Lowry's skin, but it seemed she was clutching her fingers the way Kara did when she was blushing. Alex actually really liked Lowry, which is why using this tactic tugged at her conscience a little.

"Was there something you needed, Agent Danvers? Do you know what kind of pain killers they gave you? You seem a little…off." Alex had her off balance; before today, most of their conversations had been strictly mission related. Alex had only ever called her by her first name once.

Alex distinctly remembers the last time she used Lowry's first name. Alex's team had received bad information and they had been led to a trap; only Agent Cooper's keen ears saved the DEO from a total party wipe. The alien they had been tracking had knocked Lowry into a wall and into an unconscious state. Alex had dead man dragged her out of the combat zone and forced her awake by shouting her name.

"Actually, there is something you can do for me. Dr. Henderson and I were just talking about Supergirl's recovery, and I was hoping to visit the sunroom but Dr. Henderson had important Chief of Medicine stuff to do and had to leave me here. Could you help me get my IV set up and walk with me to the sunroom? I need to see that Supergirl is okay." Alex did her best to seem both nonchalant and sincere, hoping to play the sympathy card to get what she wanted.

Lowry chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes flickering to Alex's steady vitals, and felt indecisive. Agent Danvers had risked her life and placed herself in severe danger to save Supergirl, but on the other hand Lowry could tell when she was being played. She knew Agent Danvers should be resting so soon after surgery.

"Please, Lowry?" Alex tried again, this time sincerer. Agent Danvers was a mess, but Lowry felt her resolve crumble to dust. Lowry sighed and began to methodically unhook and turn off the vital monitors until all that was left was the IV stand. Alex smiled at her in thanks. That was probably the first time Lowry had actually seen Agent Danvers truly smile. Lowry couldn't wait to tell the team that yes, Agent Danvers was in fact human and not a lifelike cyborg.

Alex threw off the carefully tucked in blanket and swung her legs off the side of the bed. She steadied herself on Agent Lowry with one hand and the IV stand in the other. Alex fought to keep her expression neutral as the sudden change in altitude caused her to feel slightly dizzy. Lowry's grip was firm and supported her as they quietly made their escape down the corridor.

Lowry felt a little like they were on an op with the way Agent Danvers's eyes jumped back and forth looking for anyone that might stop them. Lowry shouldn't be facilitating this kind of bad behavior, but Agent Danvers looked so determined to see Supergirl. Lowry knew Agent Danvers was going to get to the sunroom one way or another, so she would rather Agent Danvers walk there supervised.

They arrived at the room unaccosted. As soon as they entered, Lowry felt Agent Danvers begin to relax at the sight of Supergirl sleeping peacefully under her sunlamps. The DEO had burned Kara's contaminated uniform and placed her in recovery in nothing but the tight bike shorts she wore under her skirt and her sports bra.

"Lowry, help me up would you?" Lowry paused for a moment, stunned. She hadn't realized Agent Danvers would want to crawl into the sunbed with Supergirl. Lowry lifted the overhead lamps up and gingerly helped Agent Danvers onto the slim table.

"Thanks Lowry. I'm gonna go back to sleep now and try and get some rest. I guess I'll see you at our next team meeting if not sooner." Lowry opened her mouth to say something, but the words died on her lips as Supergirl's arms snaked around Agent Danvers in her sleep. Agent Danvers was no longer looking at her, instead she was staring at Supergirl's sleeping face intently for signs of pain or distress.

"Right then, sleep well Agent Danvers." Lowry blushed as she made a hasty exit. _Definitely not a cyborg._

With Kara's arms instinctively wrapped around her and in their preferred cuddling position, Alex felt about a thousand times better having Kara solid and warm beneath her. Alex lowered the sun lamps and snuggled into Kara, enjoying the contact with Kara's exposed skin. The light scent of Kara's perfume and blood still lingered. Kara would need all the Sun exposure she could get. The regular beeping of Alex's IV caused her to give in to her sedative and fall asleep.

* * *

Hank placed head in his hands and gripped his short hair in frustration. In his personal office, all of his monitors were currently displaying media footage; three viral portraits of #SuperX, and select news features about the Lord Lab Fiasco. One of his best agents had her identity compromised to the world, and as if that wasn't bad enough, the entire planet was debating the nuances of Agent Danvers's relationship with Supergirl. Thankfully the DEO scrubbed their agents' electronic fingerprint from the internet, so anyone who went looking for Alex Danvers came up empty. Hopefully Vasquez would be able to keep Alex's name out of the press since it was too late to keep her face off of the front page.

"Sir, would you like me to work up a new identity for Agent Danvers? I've already left some nasty traps for those who are skilled enough to know where to find Agent Danvers's real name, but I'm sure the added security of a new identity would pull attention away from Dr. Danvers."

Hank considered it for a moment and reached for an Oreo. He and Eliza were not on good terms at the moment, but he would be furious with himself if the media found out the connection between the Danvers family and Supergirl. _Certainly not the connection they think it is_. Well, the media wasn't wrong about their assumptions if Alex's thoughts on Kara were any indication, but the bad press that would come along with realizing two foster sisters fell in love would destroy their delicate balance.

Hank was feeling particularly overprotective today. First the girls nearly sent and got themselves blown up by a robot, then Kara's own boss released a media storm exposing Alex's face to the world, and now everyone and their dog had an opinion on #SuperX.

Hank was at least thankful that Cat Grant had spearheaded this story, manipulating it into a poetic partnership of human and alien rather than picking at Supergirl's sexuality or attempting to dig for details on Alex. Hank even liked the nickname 'Agent X'. Initially he had puffed up with paternal pride that his second in command had been nicknamed by the press for wearing J'onn's family symbol of a red 'x' on her tac suit. The press might not have realized it, but for better or worse every alien on the planet now knew the Martian had a daughter now - and she was ready and willing to kick their ass.

"Go ahead and make three or four possibilities. Partner those options with new identities for Supergirl as well." Vasquez looked up from the desk he had given her when they began the media assessment.

"How should I partner the identities?" Hank could hear the actual question that hadn't been said. Vasquez was probably the only agent beside himself that knew Alex and Kara had begun as foster sisters, that the reason they shared a last name wasn't due to marriage as most assumed, but because Kara had taken her foster family's name.

Hank had known for years about the conflicted feelings Alex had for her foster sister. He had listened as Alex had talked herself into circles over and over again, the guilt and frustration and love slowly eating her up on the inside. It was clear as day that the Danvers girls cared for each other on a level that could not be labeled as "sister", "best friend", or even "girlfriend". Hank had been content to allow Alex and Kara sort their feelings out for themselves no matter how long it took - as long as it didn't interfere with the mission.

Now, their relationship was a problem for the DEO considering the stack of newspapers and printed articles Agent Vasquez had handed him earlier proclaiming "Agent X and Supergirl: Star Crossed Lovers", "Gal Pals! Supergirl and the mysterious Agent X spotted leaving on a helicopter together", and his personal favorite "Agent X: the untold story of Supergirl's personal 007".

"I…just make them all married, like most people assume, and be done with it. Just don't actively mention it when you present the identities. That way I don't have to deal with the long drawn out angst of them finally sorting themselves out; they can figure it out on their own time." Hank wanted the girls to be happy. He knew nobody made them happier than the other, so if he overstepped a little to push them in the right direction, it was at least well intentioned.

"They'll figure it out, Director. They have to confront it now. There's literally no escaping the conversation at this point." Vasquez was right. He eyed the clock, he should go check on the girls. According to Maura they would be up and about sometime soon.

"Hank?" _Speak of the Devil_. Maureen entered his office with a knock and nodded at Vasquez. She glanced over the wall of images and sighed.

"Your daughter is driving me crazy," Maura reported, her lips twitching to keep a smirk from appearing on her face.

"My daughter? Why is she suddenly just my daughter when she's driving you crazy, but she's your daughter when she's inventing new genius designs for R&D?" Hank countered, playing along in their familiar game.

"She's your daughter when she is being defiant and disappears from her hospital room only hours after surgery, high as a kite on Ambrosia." Hank raised an eyebrow.

"Well where is Agent Danvers then?"

"Where do you think, Hank? She's lying in that damn sun bed with Supergirl." Hank rolled his eyes heavenward and prayed for patience. Hank shouldn't have been surprised that Alex disappeared from her hospital room and then reappeared deep asleep wrapped in the arms of their resident Kryptonian. There was no moving her back now, Kara's arms might as well be steel traps, impossible to pull a part. He sighed. _Might as well get this over with._

"Vasquez, send for Collins to rendezvous with us in the sunroom, we're going to use the bandaid method for this one." Both Vasquez and Maura raised their eyebrows as Hank shoved three Oreos in his mouth and began to chew. J'onn was a notorious stress eater and he was running worryingly low on his rescue snacks.

"Sir, you're going to choke if you keep eating like that. I'll meet you there." Vasquez gathered the scattered papers of news articles and briskly left his office. Maura and Hank shared a knowing look, Maura squeezed his arm in support, snagged one of his Oreos, and left him to gather his thoughts.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Kara gasped awake, her heart beating fast. She could still taste the sea salt on her lips. It took Kara only a millisecond to come back to reality and realize the weight on her chest was Alex sleeping peacefully. Kara's brain short circuited for a moment as it tried to process everything. She slowly brought her free hand up to rest on the back of Alex's neck, combing her fingers through Alex's short locks.

It had just been a dream. A nightmare. Alex always seemed to know when she had the worst nightmares. Alex was here, safe and sound in her arms; no ocean would rip them apart.

Kara closed her eyes in the simple pleasure of having Alex near. The ambient sounds of hospital telemetry machines and far off conversations faded away until Kara could only hear her favorite sound, Alex's heartbeat. A smile curved up unbidden on Kara's lips remembering the many, many times they had woken up in this position in the past. Early on in Kara's adjustment to Earth there would be times when the only way she could block out the sensory overload was by focusing all her senses on Alex's steady presence. Alex's even breathing and heartbeat soothed the loud din of the world, and Kara could pretend it was just the two of them floating together in orbit.

Of course that codependency came back to haunt them when Alex left home for her undergraduate degree. No one but Alex could have guessed Kara's reaction to the separation. Kara didn't remember a lot from those three weeks apart, she just remembered being distraught - and Eliza's anxiety as she pulled away and retreated into herself. Kara didn't eat, she didn't drink, and she didn't sleep. Everything tasted like ash and every dream was a nightmare. After three miserable weeks Eliza found Kara unresponsive, clutching her sketchbook. She immediately called in a favor and had Alex directly flown home.

Alex had always known what to do. She had rushed home, pulled Kara into her arms, and rocked her until Kara was hugging her back and sobbing.

After taking a few days to rehydrate and heal, Eliza had dragged Kara to a therapist recommended by Clark. 'Separation anxiety', the therapist said, 'brought on by deep fear of abandonment caused by the death of all of Kara's prior significant relationships and the near death experience from the bonfire night incident.'

Kara clutched Alex just a little bit tighter at the memory. The bonfire night was one of the worst experiences of Kara's life, right after watching Krypton explode. The bonfire had been organized by Alex's friends, a group of graduating seniors celebrating their high school diplomas and new found freedom. Kara hadn't been invited. 'Graduates only party', Aaron had said when he picked Alex up in his jeep. Eliza had left directly after Alex's graduation to go give a lecture at Opal City University three states away, so Kara locked herself away in her room to paint her feelings away.

Before the bonfire, Alex and Kara had their first real fight that afternoon. Kara couldn't remember what the fight was about, it didn't matter in the end. Alex had left her alone and angry. Kara was wrapped up in an emotional painting session when she realized that the storm siren was going off in the distance. She almost didn't go check on Alex because she was still upset. Kara didn't want to think about what would have happened if she hadn't run four miles barefoot in the pouring rain to the Cliffside recreation area.

Kara had fished half of the graduates out of the rising tide waters looking desperately for Alex. Alex had pulled one of her friends to safety but slipped and fell into the tide, slamming her head against the rocks and falling unconscious. By chance, Hannah had caught Alex as the tide and current lifted her body to the boulder Hannah had been trapped on.

Kara had been on the edge of a panic attack the entire rescue. She had abandoned the other graduates to the little shelter of the picnic pavilion and flown Alex to the closest hospital. Thankfully, the rain was too heavy for anyone to see her using her powers, but that two minute stretch of time it took Kara to fly Alex to safety felt like an eternity.

If any of the hospital staff commented on Kara's bare feet and soaked pajamas, Kara hadn't heard it as she hysterically demanded someone treat Alex. Kara had waited cold and panicking in the waiting room of the ER as she watched the doctors take Alex back for an X-Ray, then surgery to set her broken arm. _Humans are so delicate,_ she'd thought.

It was a special kind of hell being able to hear and see everything the doctors did to stabilize Alex. All Kara had been able to think about was what if Alex never woke up and the last thing they had said to each other was that they wished Kara had never been brought to the Danvers. Kara would have never forgiven herself.

Eventually one of the nurses had handed Kara a phone and a set of dry scrubs and surgical booties to change into. Over the phone, Eliza had promised Kara that Alex would be fine and she would be flying home as soon as possible. Kara would have offered to pick Eliza up personally, but nothing would convince Kara to leave Alex's side now. When they finally wheeled Alex into a recovery room, Kara had crawled into her hospital bed and cried. Alex woke up a few hours later with a wicked concussion and an armful of hysterical Kryptonian.

After that incident they promised each other never to part angry again. Kara spent the entire summer glued to Alex's side and fretting over her healing injuries until it was time for Alex to head to her freshmen orientation cast free. The separation only further ingrained how much Alex meant to Kara.

Kara shivered slightly at the memory and placed a tender kiss on the thin scar on Alex's temple. Kara had saved Alex that night, but Alex was the one who saved her every day in every way that mattered. Kara didn't want to move from her comfortable position, but the desire to check Alex for injuries won out. Kara lifted the overhead lamps with her free hand, then floated up off of the sun table still holding Alex. Kara gently placed Alex on the table, floating about five feet above her prone figure as Kara examined her from head to toe for injuries.

The ear bandages were the first thing she noticed; they were round white bandages pressed into a seal covering both of Alex's ears. Kara remembered the blood tracks she had wiped away from the side of Alex's head before they were evacuated. Kara couldn't tell what the injury was, but the ears themselves were whole and intact. That was good; Kara liked Van Gogh as much as the next person, but she really didn't want Alex emulating him.

Alex had several stitched lacerations along her body that were likely caused by debris from the fight. The real injury that made Kara tear up was Alex's right arm. It was like Alex had stuck her hand in a meat grinder. The skin had been torn away from knuckle to mid-hand and was covered in skin grafts. Alex's wrist was broken in two places, and her arm was broken, _again_.

 _Rao, what had she done? Punched the robot to pieces?_ Kara wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. Alex had a long history of punching those who hurt Kara.

A drop of blood dripped onto Alex's surgical gown. Kara frowned and brought her hand to her side, pain caused her to drop in height. Kara caught herself two feet above Alex and cautiously rolled over and laid down next to her.

Kara lifted her head and stared at the wide bandage on her left side. The lacerations had obviously been very deep since the doctors had bothered to put stitches in and the Kryptonite coating on the robot's claws had hampered the healing process despite spending hours under concentrated sunlamps. Kara gingerly rolled over so her injured side was facing the lamps. Kara jumped slightly in surprise as she turned into Alex's gaze. Alex's eyes searched Kara's face then skated down to the bandage on her side. Alex hesitantly reached out and caught a trickle of blood that escaped the bandage as it rolled down Kara's exposed abs.

They didn't speak, instead Alex opened her arms and Kara melted into her embrace. Alex was safe and warm. Alex's uninjured hand rhythmically traced the Kryptonese alphabet on Kara's back. Kara buried her nose into Alex's collarbone and sighed in contentment. Alex's hand moved to tangle in Kara's hair. Kara shifted her face slightly to expose her mouth to Alex's neck.

"Thank you for saving me," Kara murmured into Alex's jumping pulse point. The hand in her hair stilled for a moment before gently pulling Kara up to look Alex in the eyes. Kara was immediately entranced by the hazel color of Alex's eyes; she could never quite recreate the color no matter how many times she painted them. Kara felt a tell-tale blush forming on her cheeks and the back of her neck, Alex's stare looked right at her very soul and she knew it.

"Kara. I will always come for you. Always and forever, until I draw my last breath, and even after that I'll be there with you." Kara couldn't help the brilliant smile that overtook her face. This was supposed to be a serious moment but how could she keep a neutral expression to that?

"I love you, Alex." Kara tried to put her real meaning in her tone, but the frequency of the phrase prompted an automatic response.

"I love you too, Kara. Always." Kara took whatever she could get from Alex and held each declaration of endearment close, like a precious treasure. She relaxed further into an embrace until the space between them closed, and they were so tightly entwined it was hard to tell where one began and the other ended. Being close like this, the feeling of naked skin pressed to the thin material of Alex's surgical gown, was distracting. It was a kind of heaven Kara never indulged in but longed for desperately as any sinner stuck in purgatory.

"I don't know if I could do this without you," Kara admitted softly. Alex brushed a light kiss on Kara's exposed shoulder in reassurance. Kara shivered at the sensation.

"You've got the heart of a hero Kara, even if I wasn't here you would still be out there saving the day."

"But who would save me?" the small voice Kara used betrayed her fear and Alex leaned their foreheads together, bright eyes staring right through Kara.

"I'm here Kara, I'm not going anywhere. **El mayarah** , remember?" Kara's eyes slipped closed and let the tension leave her body. They floated together a foot off the table, entwined.

They were still resting their foreheads together, Alex draped over the top of Kara's floating body, when Director Henshaw entered without a knock. He was immediately followed by Vasquez, Dr. Lowry, and a blonde woman Kara didn't recognize. Kara and Alex's eyes turned towards the intruders accusingly. Neither liked having their quiet moments together interrupted.

"Ah, you are awake. Good that makes things easier. Supergirl could you cease the Exorcist act while we debrief?" Kara pouted, but obliged and returned them to the table. Kara sat up and swung her feet to hang off the edge, reaching over to a snag a pillow from one of the nearby tables. She propped it up for Alex to lounge on comfortably.

Vasquez had been typing steadily with one hand since she entered the room and had not looked up yet. Dr. Lowry moved closer to change Alex's IV bag. The blonde woman Kara didn't know smiled at them reassuringly before holding out a duffle bag.

"I hope you don't mind. Director Henshaw asked me to pick up some clothes and toiletries for you two." Kara liked her immediately, the cheerful teasing tone put her at ease as she took the proffered bag. Alex peered over her shoulder to look at its contents.

"Bless you Agent Collins, these surgical gowns are rough enough to cause chaffing." The blonde agent smiled at Alex. Kara cocked her head to the side.

"Thank you. We haven't been introduced, I'm Kara Danvers." Kara held out her hand for the other woman to shake. The agent's eyes lit up and she eagerly returned the handshake, smiling widely.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kara. I'm Sarah Collins."

"Agent Collins is an infiltration specialist, which is why you haven't met her before. Her line of work rarely overlaps with combat ops. And you know Dr. Lowry," Alex explained as she dug around for her clothing with one hand. Kara helped her without being asked.

Kara suddenly felt very grimy. Her skin was covered in surgical antiseptic, dirt, blood, and sweat. No wonder they cut her out of her suit and left her in her underwear. Kara raised her eyes sheepishly to Alex before turning to Hank.

"Hank, if you don't mind I would like to take a quick shower before debrief. I reek."

Hank looked at her side in consideration. "That's fine, let me get someone to put a waterproof seal on your bandage."

"No need, I can do it. She needs a new bandage anyway." Dr. Lowry looked at Alex warily. "Scoot over Agent Danvers, I need Supergirl to be flat to change the bandage."

Alex complied without a word and pulled Kara into a recumbent position next to her.

Dr. Lowry wasted no time in pulling off the old bandage.

 _Ouch_. Alex threaded her uninjured hand with Kara's and squeezed lightly in support. She made a face at the four long claw wounds. The injury was bruised and barely scabbed over.

Dr. Lowry made quick work of checking the wound, rewrapping it with a new bandage and a watertight seal that could be removed later.

"That was fast. Thank you Dr. Lowry. Lex, I'll be right back." Kara pressed a kiss on Alex's forehead then moved at superspeed into the adjacent bathroom with her change of clothes. Kara could hear muffled conversation through the sounds of the shower, but didn't focus on it as she picked bits of rubble out of her hair. Superspeed was useful; in fact her shower only lasted as long as it took for water to wash out her hair.

Satisfied with her shampooed and conditioned hair, Kara scrubbed blood and sweat away with antibacterial soap. It always mystified Kara watching blood run clear down the drain. Clean, Kara exited the shower to dry off, only to hear Alex's sullen words in the next room.

"I want to shower too."

Kara tried not to think about helping Alex in the shower, which she was bound to do when they got home. The traitorous thought caused her stomach to flutter in anticipation. Kara heard Dr. Lowry tell Alex she would have to wait until Chief Henderson gave her the okay to remove the ear bandage seals. Kara didn't need X-Ray vision to know that Alex was doing her unhappy pouty face right now.

Kara hurriedly dressed in the T-Shirt and Sweats Agent Collins brought for her. Alex might not be able to shower, but that didn't mean Kara couldn't help her get comfortable. Kara grabbed a couple washcloths and towels, then filled one of the buckets in the room with warm soapy water and another half full with clean water. Kara reentered the room with a bright smile looking very proud of herself.

The first thing Kara noticed was the twin looks of bemusement on Director Henshaw's and Vasquez's face. Alex looked like a harassed toddler as Dr. Lowry changed her bandages. Agent Collins was sitting in the chair next to Alex trying to distract her from the pain with an amusing story of Agent Collins breaking into the Cairo Museum to maintain a cover.

As soon as Kara entered the room, Alex turned her head to give her puppy dog eyes to come save her from Dr. Lowry's care. Alex's eyes looked a little glassy, which told Kara she'd been given another painkiller. _That would explain the pouting._

Kara smiled as reassuringly as she could and waited near Agent Collins for Dr. Lowry to finish her examination. Kara didn't have to wait long.

"There. All done you big baby. And look Kara brought some washcloths and soap so you won't stink that bad when you're sent to Stand Down." Dr. Lowry moved out of the way and allowed Kara to begin to gently wipe away the grit from Alex's exposed skin. Alex squirmed. Director Henshaw left the room and Kara could hear him chuckling down the hallway.

"Kara I don't need you to wash me. I can do it myself." Kara ignored her and wringed out a dirty wash cloth and grabbed a clean soapy one. Vasquez however had no problem calling her out on it.

"Yeah, with one good arm and high on pain meds, good luck. And I'm sure as hell not giving you a sponge bath, so I would shut up and enjoy having someone nice enough to help you." Vasquez never let an opportunity to rib Alex go by, and Kara relaxed to the familiar banter between the two as she tenderly completed her task. Collins was absorbed in something on her tablet, chewing her bottom lip and eyebrows drawn together. Kara guessed it must be pretty important. Vasquez and Collins had both been occupied with their tablets since they entered. Dr. Lowry was busying herself by shutting off the sun lamps and wheeling them to their place on the wall.

Kara finished the impromptu sponge bath and helped Alex into her own clothes which was an old soccer practice T-Shirt and a pair of Alex's PT shorts that Collins must have grabbed from Alex's locker. Kara kept the jeans in the bag until Alex was ready to be discharged. Alex looked considerably better in her own clothes and semi-clean. Vasquez poked her head out of the door of the recovery room and called for Director Henshaw.

Hank reentered with stacks of newspapers and magazines. Kara's eyes widened.

"Rao! What time is it?" Collins checked her watch.

"Half 10, why?" Kara leapt up from her perch next to Alex. Startling Dr. Lowry beside her.

"I'm late for work! We're in the middle of a major print issue, I've got to get to Catco." Alex rolled her eyes, but accepted Kara's parting affectionate forehead kiss, then waved her away.

"Go on then, I'll handle the debrief. Don't overexert yourself or pull your stitches." Hank, Vasquez, and Collins all opened their mouths to speak at the same time as Kara turned to the door.

"Wait!"

"You can't!"

"Kara, hold on!"

Kara turned back in question. Alex stared at them in confusion. Kara's anxiety skyrocketed. There was so much going on right now and she really needed to stop spreading herself so thin.

"I have to go, Ms. Grant and I are not in a good place right now and I don't want to get fired."

"There's a media issue going on right now about the Lord Lab Fiasco. It would be better if you stayed here until we sorted everything out." Vasquez countered quickly. Henshaw was rubbing his forehead like he had a headache.

"Of course there is, it's Maxwell Lord. I'll be fine, I have to go." Kara didn't wait to hear the response, her mind shifting its focus from Alex's injuries to keeping her job.

Losing Catco now would wreck her; she needed the sanctuary of Cat's office to ground her, and the added safety net of her friends. Kara realized she didn't have a suit, but that couldn't stop her now. Winn could make her another one, and a new phone since hers was currently crushed to bits in her boot. Kara took off from her designated exit tunnels, which were old missile bays, and flew high into the air towards her apartment.

* * *

Collins stared at the spot Kara just occupied. Vasquez was looking accusingly at Director Henshaw.

"What the hell, Hank? You're just going to let her walk into Catco with this media shit show going on right now?" Alex's drooping eyes snapped open.

"Why is it a shit show?" The whole room went dead quiet. Alex sat up in alarm. "What is going on?"

Hank held up a hand for the others to be quiet.

"What are the odds of Kara not finding out until after the work day is over?" he asked Vasquez - even though he already knew the answer.

"Absolutely zero, Sir. She literally works for the woman who spearheaded this whole mess." Alex stood up in anger at being ignored, Dr. Lowry caught her as she swayed under the influence of the pain medication she had been dosed her with earlier.

"What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On," Alex said through gritted teeth, her expression as fierce as it had been while staring down that Frankenstein's robot. Vasquez picked up the top magazine and tossed it to Alex, who caught it deftly out of the air. Alex stared at the cover, her eyes widening and jaw dropping.

"Your identity has been compromised. Your face is on every screen and paper in America right now," Vasquez said evenly.

"That wasn't exactly what I meant when I said we were going to use the band aid method," Henshaw grumbled and turned on the largest monitor in the sunroom. Vasquez immediately pulled up the algorithm she had tracking the media storm. Tweets, articles, pictures, and video clips rolled across the screen.

"Agent X: Supergirl's Guardian Angel," Alex intoned without inflection, her hand tracing the picture of herself carrying Kara bridal style out of the combat zone. An explosion dramatically produced a fireball in the background.

Alex numbly leafed through the article, Cat Grant's deft writing style made the article read like an adventure novel.

"Who is this mysterious secret agent that is so competent, she can pull even the strongest of superheroes out of the line of fire? This partnership between our Supergirl and Agent X has been around at least since Supergirl revealed herself to the world, if not earlier. After hours of careful review of Supergirl's major battles, Agent X appears sometimes alone, sometimes with a team, as the primary support for Supergirl in every battle.

The main problem with most superheroes is they often believe they have to work alone in fear of others getting hurt on their behalf. This ideology has been the downfall of titans in the past. With regular support, a superhero can achieve so much more without exerting themselves. Supergirl has obviously embraced the idea of teamwork with her willingness to partner with this covert group - and Agent X specifically.

There's a symmetry to this partnership. Supergirl in the limelight, while Agent X works in the shadows. Supergirl is the alien to Agent X's humanity. The color to the dark. It's poetic that just as we rely on Supergirl, she relies on Agent X. It's a kind of balance that can't be broken even by Kryptonite…"

Alex stared and stopped reading out loud.

"Agent X?"

"Yup. After your tac vest style. The big red X is pretty distinctive compared to the rest of your clothing, and it's a pun on your lack of name. Also, it makes for a great couple hashtag. #SuperX is catchy right?" Collins answered, making an X with her arms across her chest for emphasis. Alex stiffened.

"We need to get Kara back here, now." Alex hadn't looked up from the stack of articles in her lap. Alex had flipped to one of the gossip pieces.

"That's going to be difficult considering her phone is trashed at the moment. I'll see if I can scrounge up one of her friend's cell phone numbers, but I have a feeling CatCo is pretty busy at the moment."

"Oh shit." Alex's fingers twitched and scrunched the newspaper she was holding. Alex leaned forward to bring her head to her knees and her hands to her cover her face.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. This cannot be happening." Alex's heart rate increased high enough to set off an alarm from the monitor Lowry had connected her to earlier. Alex flinched away from Hank when he tried to comfort her.

"Don't touch me."

Lowry hovered near Alex's beside with a sedative syringe ready to go at Hank's command. He held his hand up to have Lowry wait. Alex's thoughts were racing too fast for Hank to understand.

"Alex I need you to listen to me. We are doing everything we can to make sure your name does not hit the press. I have Agent O'Reilly watching your mother right now. Kara will be okay, we just need to sort this out and everything will be fine."

"Fine? Half the damn world thinks we're lovers!" Alex holds up an offending article in disgust and throws it at Hank in anger. "I am supposed to be anonymous! How can I protect Kara if every man, woman, child, and alien on this planet knows my face? Every enemy Kara has is going to try and Lois Lane me to get to Kara!" Alex's shouts began to turn into sobs.

Collins and Lowry stared wide eyed and concerned at the senior agent losing her normally excellent emotional control. Vasquez bit her lip, a dull ache in her chest flared in empathy for her friend.

"Director, Collins, Lowry; may I have the room, please? Lowry, leave that on the counter." Vasquez cleared the room quickly as Alex rapidly lost all sense of composure. Lowry left the sedative behind as she and Hank walked out of the door.

Vasquez gave Alex a moment to herself as she took the stack of articles away and turned off the media screen.

"Do you want a sedative, Alex? It will make you feel less sick and you can get some sleep." Vasquez waited next to the bed for Alex to choke out a response.

"How the fuck am I supposed to sleep when I just got outed to the whole world? Kara and I haven't even," Alex sucked in a great shuddering breath "we haven't even talked about this before." Vasquez slowly put her hand on Alex's back to soothe her.

"Maybe it's time for you to finally have that discussion about your feelings," Vasquez offered as she pulled Alex into a loose hug. Alex was still stiff in her arms.

"But what if I lose her? Everything we've built together… Kara is my family, my heart... she gives me purpose and makes me a better person. I think I would die if I lost her, especially to this. The whole world would judge us if they knew that we were foster sisters."

"Alex, you could never lose Kara. The girl adores you and even if she's awkward about your past relationship, she would still want you in her life. The bond you two have is special. It's something people spend their entire lives searching for, and not everyone finds it. Don't let this separate you, look at this as an opportunity to finally have that perfect love." Alex hiccuped and leaned her head on Vasquez's shoulder.

"I'm afraid, V."

Vasquez moved back slightly to look in Alex's watery eyes.

"I know. But you're the bravest person I've ever known, so I know you can get through this. You once took on an Alacorian with no backup and won. You ran face first into a murderous robot to save Kara's life. And you managed to get through a date with Maxwell Lord without throwing up, which we both know is a big accomplishment." Alex laughed. "It's okay to be afraid, what's not okay is for you to run away."

"Your pep talks have really improved from your standard 'cheer up Agent Danvers there's only six alien hostiles this time. instead of twelve. Easy peasy for you right?'" Vasquez shoved her gently, breaking their loose hug.

"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to maintain. Let us take care of you Alex, and you focus on getting better and working things out with Kara." Alex nodded, her eyes slipping closed in exhaustion.

"Thanks, V."

"Anytime, A." Vasquez took the sedative with her as she turned out the lights and left Alex to sleep off her distress.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

End Chapter Three

* * *

Author's Note: Okay guys, this story has really taken on a life of it's own, so I think it will be a couple chapters longer than I originally outlined. I'm afraid of introducing too many OC's, but I hope you liked the medical team, I really feel like Supergirl is a very team based show and needs some added characters to round out the story. I apologize for the updates being so slow, I have three exams this week that I've been getting ready for and haven't had a lot of time to write. As always, huge thanks to my amazing beta Beaglesinbowties for all their hard work. Constructive comments are greatly appreciated, and motivate me to keep writing. Thanks for reading! -AJ


	4. Discovery

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains references to panic attacks, actual panic attacks, and vomiting. Please read with care.

* * *

Chapter Four: Discovery

Kara usually enjoyed her time in the sky, but for once it was raining in National City. She was still recovering from her fight with the robot so she didn't waste any time and quickly made her way to her apartment as fast as she could. If she could make it in before 11:00 maybe Cat wouldn't notice she was two hours late to work. Her stitches smarted as she banked to land on her window ledge. Kara paused, she thought she had left it open yesterday when she left for work. Now her window was closed shut and there was fresh chipped brick by the side of her window.

 _That's weird_ , she thought to herself as she eased into her living room. The familiar scent of Eucalyptus calmed her immediately. Not wasting anytime she moved to her bedroom at superspeed and threw on a nice sundress and cardigan combo. She quickly braided her hair back and left her apartment in record time. Only 26 seconds, which Kara was pretty sure was something of a personal record.

Now dressed in her work clothes Kara had to take a more human method of travel to get to work. But first she had to pick up Cat's dry cleaning and coffee. By this point one of her interns surely would have fetched Cat a coffee from Noonan's, but Kara hoped a piping hot fresh latte would get her back into Cat's relative good graces.

Thankfully, the drycleaners was on her way to Noonan's anyway. It took Kara less than a minute to pick up the five or so pressed suits from the kindly old man who ran the shop. He had them hanging ready to go for Kara every week in a section of the dry cleaner where Kara could just walk in and pick them up without having to break her stride. The man's kindness had saved Kara a lot of trouble in the past. With a distracted wave Kara power walked as fast as humanly possible to Noonan's, calling for the barista as she entered.

"Maggie!" Kara called out while hurriedly wiping the raindrops off her glasses. "Can I get a Grant Classic, stat? I'm super late to work and I need to get going as fast as possible. I'll pay extra or whatever you need."

The barista hesitated as she picked up the to go cup to begin the order.

"Kara? Aren't you…when you didn't come in this morning I thought you had called in sick or something." Maggie looked at her over the steamer in concern, then flicked her eyes to the muted TV screen to her right.

"You look really pale. Do you want to sit down? I have leftover lemon cakes if you want them."

Kara was hungry; the last thing she had eaten were the enchiladas from lunch yesterday. Glancing at her watch, Kara sat down at the bar and chomped the little plate of pastries like a chipmunk. Maggie was by far Kara's favorite barista at Noonan's. She always seemed to know when she was having a rough time because there would always be extra baked goods for Kara.

Alex hated her for some reason and couldn't stand it when Maggie was their waitress during breakfast. Kara had no idea why. Maggie seemed awesome. Kara rolled her eyes at Alex's dramatic tendencies and then wiped her mouth clean of crumbs with a napkin - just as Maggie returned with her coffee order.

Maggie slid the latte to Kara for their little tradition of Kara critiquing her latte art. Today's design was a simple X in cream. It was probably one of the simplest designs Maggie had pulled in weeks. Kara looked at her questioningly as she capped the to go cup with a lid. Maggie just smiled, which looked a little bit more like a wince, and handed Kara a paper to go bag.

"Some food for you later; you need to eat more and get some color back in those cheeks." Kara cocked her head to the side. Maggie had been fretting and acting nervous since she walked inside. Kara squeezed her arm in thanks and made her way out the door.

"Thanks Maggie! See you later!"

"Good luck Kara!" That was unusual; normally Maggie just told her to have a nice day or come back soon. Kara really didn't have time to question her this morning, but Kara made a little mental note to herself to ask Maggie about it later.

* * *

Kara hadn't been this late to work since her third month at CatCo. That entire month had been a complete disaster. Kara remembered that day clearly. The Trib circulation had been at an all-time low, CatCo France had been dealing with a workers' strike, and Ms. Grant's ex-husband had been trying to sue for full custody. Cat had been on a warpath firing people for things she might have let go in the past, engaging in shouting matches with the board, and sending Kara on increasingly difficult errands.

Kara had originally requested the day off because it had been the 35th the anniversary of Krypton's destruction, but Cat denied her vacation day abruptly the day before to have her finish some editorial project that apparently couldn't wait. Kara worked on the project all day to try and get it done in hopes Cat might approve her day off, but Cat was merciless and had assigned Kara errands all across town. In the end, she had to take the project home with her in order to meet Cat's noon deadline the next day.

By two am, sitting in her living room surrounded by research, the combination of work overload, stress, and grief overwhelmed her and Kara had a massive panic attack. Kara hated panic attacks more than anything. They caused her to hyperventilate on air she technically didn't need and shake like a leaf, making it impossible for her to move. That night had been a particularly bad panic attack and there was no 'rescue pill' for her Kryptonian metabolism that could forcibly slow her heart rate and breathing.

By some act of Rao, Alex seemed to know she was in trouble and came knocking on her door not even 15 minutes later. Alex had cursed Cat when she heard that Kara had been denied her personal day. Alex had forced her to take a shower and then tucked her into bed. Kara hadn't been able to sleep for a long time; instead she'd traced the patterns of Kryptonian constellations on Alex's back. Kara hadn't woken up until the sun was high enough to bring sunlight into their bedroom around 11:00 am. Realizing she was late to work, it had taken Alex an additional 20 minutes to calm Kara down enough to get dressed and go to Catco.

Kara had been sure she was going to be fired the moment she walked into the bullpen. But when she finally arrived on the executive floor with a hot latte and her project, she had been surprised to see the level of activity so high. She had almost made it to her desk when Hayashi called her over to his section of the bullpen.

Hayashi was tall with dark hair and eyes that twinkled with laughter. Kara had worked directly with the Chief of Staff plenty of times in the past, and she really liked how his gentle personality offset all of Cat's sharp edges.

"Are you alright?" he had asked. "I thought you weren't coming in today, but Cat mentioned that she didn't approve your request for time off. Everyone's been chipping in to cover for you; we all heard what happened yesterday in Cat's office."

Kara hadn't bothered to hold back and had pulled Hayashi into a hug. The man had been with Cat since Catco's humble beginnings. He knew Cat Grant, and more importantly he knew how Cat Grant treated her assistants.

"Thank you so much, Hayashi. I thought for sure I'd be fired for coming in late." Hayashi had shaken his head violently, a couple papers slipping from his grasp to fall on his messy desk.

"Are you kidding? Like she'd fire you, you're probably one of the best assistants Cat's had in ages. The entire bullpen owes you a favor or two anyway. Quid Pro Quo, Kara. You've covered for us, we covered for you. You're one of us, Sunshine." The grimace that had been stuck to Kara's face lifted into a smile. Hayashi smiled back just as widely and offered her some files.

"Here you can take these in with her refill and it will be like you were here the whole time. But, Kara?" Kara turned back to him just as she made to head back to her desk.

"Why didn't you just tell her it was the anniversary of your parents' deaths?" Kara had swallowed thickly and adjusted her glasses. Kara hadn't shared any personal information with her boss beyond the fact she had writing and editorial experience. Kara didn't even think Cat had ever looked at her HR file.

"Ms. Grant has been in a horrible mood for weeks, I didn't know how to approach her about it. She can be really intimidating sometimes." Hayashi had looked at her with sympathy and patted her on the shoulder.

"Ms. Grant has more facets than a diamond and is twice as sharp, but underneath all that armor she really does care. I've seen it. You can be honest with her." Kara nodded slightly with just a hint of disbelief and hope, then braced herself to enter Cat's fishbowl office.

Like Hayashi had predicted Cat never noticed that she had come in late and Kara met her noon deadline. Cat actually had a hint of a smile hidden by her latte as she had reviewed Kara's work.

"This is sufficient; give it to Hayashi and tell him I want this live on the Trib website within two hours."

"Yes Ms. Grant."

"Oh, and Cara." Kara turned back to look at her, her pen poised to take notes.

"Yes, Ms. Grant?"

"Take the rest of the day off and don't come back 'til Monday. After some reflection, I can see that I was…. hasty in denying your personal day request. I was in a very poor mood yesterday. I took it out on you all day and you didn't complain once - not even when I sent you to the Tribune offices and back three times, or made you get me five different kinds of lattes because everything tasted like tar. Or when I gave you someone else's project last minute with an impossible deadline. That kind of workload has broken lesser employees. You just took it all with a smile. So, go, take your personal day. I'll see you Monday morning."

Kara had checked her feet to make sure she wasn't floating. A giddy feeling had bubbled up in her stomach at the roundabout praise and semi-apology. She had given Cat a blinding smile and practically skipped away.

 _It's funny how things work out sometimes_ , Kara mused. The anniversary of the worst day in Kara's life hadn't turned out so bad after all.

* * *

Kara smiled as she entered the main elevator, shaking the memory away. Hopefully she had her intern team trained well enough to be self-sufficient for a few hours. Kara prayed that Cat would be in a good mood considering that Supergirl had engaged a public battle yesterday, which always boosted sales. Cat wasn't pleased with Kara at the moment for the whole Adam thing.

Apparently turning down Cat's estranged son and inadvertently causing him to cut his visit short hadn't gone over well with Cat.

Alex was right, she did need boundaries. Unfortunately, Cat had made the first step and pushed her away before Kara could even explain herself. Their working dynamic was suffering because neither of them knew how to communicate with the other.

Kara sighed and drummed her fingers on the rail of the elevator. Alex would know how to fix this mess. Kara resolved to mention the situation to Alex when she was healed up more. The empty elevator stopped on the executive floor and Kara took a deep breath and stepped out into the fray.

Kara was completely unprepared for the sheer level of chaos the bullpen was in when she arrived. All of her interns were rushing back and forth between desks, shuttling papers and coffee. Hayashi was directing the Editing 1 and 2 teams in the southeast corner of the bullpen. Kara had barely taken two steps into the room when one of her interns appeared at her side to help her carry her things.

"Thanks Madison, has Ms. Grant noticed I haven't been in yet?" The younger blonde girl didn't stop moving as she arranged walked to go arrange the pastries on Kara's desk. Winn wasn't at his desk, which was clear of its usual decorations of toys and coffee cups.

"Mr. Schott told her that you were sick at game night last night and wouldn't be in today. I've been working with Ms. Lane all morning and she made it sound like you were pretty sick. Not that I'm not happy to see you, Ms. Danvers - it's just that you probably should take the day off before Ms. Grant finds out you came into work sick." The girl handed Kara her iPad anyway as Hayashi and the rest of her interns gathered around her desk. They all looked wide eyed and stressed.

"Winn over exaggerated, I'm fine. I'm feeling much better now. We're in the middle of a huge print deadline anyway, so who wants to go first for their update?" The interns looked at each other or at the ground and fidgeted. Hayashi beat them to the punch.

"Kara, seriously. Go home. You shouldn't have come in today; you should be resting. You should lay low for a while." He tried to gently pull the iPad out of Kara's hand in emphasis. Hayashi had dark bags under his eyes and was shifting back and forth on his feet anxiously. It was unlike Hayashi to be this worked up. Normally Kara counted on Hayashi to be her backup when everyone else was freaking out.

Kara frowned and wondered what exactly Winn had told everyone she was sick with, because everyone she had run into today had been acting like they were walking on eggshells around her. Her interns nodded emphatically, the seven tired looking faces tried to stare her into submission.

 _Well._ Kara hadn't worked over two years as Cat Grant's assistant to be bullied by her own staff.

With superhuman strength, Kara easily pulled the iPad back from Hayashi's tight grip and turned her attention to the screen.

"I'm fine. Update, now." The last part was directed at the intern currently shoving a bearclaw into her mouth with gusto. The intern coughed and swallowed the treat as one of the other sharply dressed interns answered her command on reflex.

"Dimples fetched Ms. Grant's coffee this morning so she's been caffeinated, but is probably due for another dose by now. I've been busy confirming next week's scheduled meetings and booked the executive dining room at the Hyland Club for the Board Dinner in two weeks. Clubs and Spades have been working with Editing 1 and 2 to help them meet their noon deadline. Legacy and Bearclaw have been sifting through media inquiries since we clocked in today. And lastly Harvard's been helping Ms. Lane with some copyright infringement work."

Kara didn't normally call her interns by their office nicknames because she felt like it was too demeaning, but they seemed to like it and referred to each other that way. When Kara had first started at Catco, the bullpen had nicknamed her Sunshine, or Sunny, for her cheerful personality. Kara didn't even know Cat had known about the nickname until Cat had confronted her about Adam.

Kara nodded as the girl rattled off current site traffic problems the Tribune was experiencing and signed off on the paperwork that George, or 'Dimples', handed to her on a clipboard. Hayashi was still hovering like a mother hen behind her protective wall of interns.

"Awesome, great job guys! Thanks so much for picking up the slack before I came in. Standard operating procedure until we can update again at lunch. Jasmine will you hang this stuff up in Ms. Grant's bathroom while I go reheat her coffee? Try not to disturb whatever meeting she has going on in there. Off you go my lovelies!" Kara shooed the seven away as the interns ribbed Jasmine, or 'Tex', for being a suck up. Hayashi had been joined by Melissa and Lauren who were each holding a binder.

"Yes?" Kara asked as she leafed through her paperwork at her desk.

Melissa looked exhausted. "Cat wanted us to have you work with us on the follow up articles for the headline Cat released this morning. She said 'maybe Kara can inspire some sort of creativity in this half-baked high school paper level article.' She's in a weird mood, so heads up when you update with her." Kara winced at the harsh words and hoped the two wouldn't need too much hand holding today. Cat Grant in a weird mood was never a good sign.

"Right, I'm just going to go check up on her then I'll be back at my desk. Just leave your binders on my desk for me to look over and I'll send an intern when I'm ready to work with you."

"Sounds good, thanks Kara." Lauren yawned and took a huge gulp of coffee. Hayashi walked with Kara to the door of Cat's office, stopping her for the final time with a worried look on his face.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Kara looked at him quizzically but softened at his concern. Everyone was acting strange today.

"I'm sure, but I appreciate your concern. I think Dave needs your help with something." Hayashi sighed and looked over at their distressed looking red-haired coworker. Hayashi placed a gentle hand on her arm and squeezed lightly in good luck.

"I'll be nearby if you need me."

Thunder rumbled loudly, shaking the building and causing the lights to flicker. Everyone looked up for a second and then continued about their business. Kara shook her head and opened the glass doors quietly to enter the full office. Kara hadn't tried to listen in on the conversation in Cat's office; she was trying to conserve as much energy as possible and the flight home in the rain had taken more out of her than she liked. Kara eased around the IT team, apparently the Trib was still having traffic problems with their servers. A hand caught her elbow before she could step into Cat's line of sight.

Winn's concerned face scanned her from head to toe for injuries. "Are you okay? What are you doing here? You went radio silent on us. Lucy has been talking about staging a break in at the DEO to see you." Kara gave him a loose hug at his genuine concern, the raised voices of the IT director and Cat covering their conversation.

"I'm okay, just tired and a couple scratches. Stupid robot crushed my phone to pieces or I would have sent out a text. What's going on?" Winn flushed dramatically and leaned in, trying to lead her to the door.

"Listen Kara, you should go home. Ms. Grant's in a mood that's as bad as the weather right now. You were just in a major fight and you really don't want to be around in this media storm." Kara's face twisted in surprise.

"Media storm? About Maxwell Lord or what?" Winn's flushed face suddenly paled. Kara gripped his arm to steady him.

"Oh my god, you don't know. Kara listen you need to leave-" Whatever else Winn tried to warn her about was interrupted by Cat's strident voice.

"Keira! I hear you and Whitt back there gossiping like school girls. Get up here, I can smell the espresso on you. The rest of you, out." Kara shuffled to the front, trying not to wince as one of the IT team members brushed against her injured side while trying to move out of the way. Cat's laser focused eyes tracked her as she neatly placed the hot latte on Cat's coaster. Kara didn't even have time to check Cat's media monitors before Cat lambasted her with tasks.

"Keira, I need you to call Ellen back and tell her no I'm not sharing and she better not try and encroach until I've had my time to coach Supergirl. Cancel the rest of today and tomorrow and have whatever meetings that were scheduled moved to next week. I need you to check with printing to ensure they got the correct ink order and they're on time to print our special issue on Friday. Tell Hayashi, Shannon, and Fabian we'll have to move drinks back to Saturday night or just reschedule our happy hour if they can't do Saturday. And lastly tell James I don't care what he says, I want an interview with Supergirl immediately." Kara looked up from her iPad to confirm the tasks to Cat when her words fell from her lips. Behind Cat was a high definition close up of Alex's bloody face. Lightning flashed outside lighting up the screens.

Kara made a sound that sounded like a mixture between a gasp and a choke. Kara's stomach dropped and her breath caught in her chest in fear. Alex's face and pictures of Alex holding her were on every screen. The headlines caused her to drop her iPad. Shaky hands drifted up to cover her mouth. Now was really not a good time for a panic attack.

"Keira?" Kara's vision began to blur. Thunder rumbled loudly.

'Agent X: Supergirl's Guardian Angel'

'Agent X: The Untold Story of Supergirl's Personal 007'

'Gal Pals! Supergirl and Agent X Spotted Leaving on a Helicopter Together'

'Agent X and Supergirl: Star Crossed Lovers?'

"KARA! Snap out of it!" Kara was vaguely aware of Cat standing in front of her. The world spun slowly around - _was the world spinning or was she?_ Kara's eyes tunnel visioned on Cat's face, her face was set in alarm and she was shouting something Kara couldn't hear. Kara's eyes slid shut as she fell face first to the ground, surprising Cat who was too slow to catch her.

* * *

Cat's heart seized in her throat the minute Kara's face blanched and her iPad slipped from her fingers. Cat rounded her desk, calling for Kara's attention as Kara's eyes flickered back and forth blankly.

"Keira. Keira! Look at me." Cat put her hand on Kara's shoulder and pushed slightly to get her attention. Kara gave way like a ragdoll, swinging dangerously backwards before righting herself.

"Kara! Snap out of it!" Cat normally did not let her voice raise to this kind of hysterical pitch and out of the corner of her eye she could see the bullpen stop to stare. Kara's eyes focused on Cat's face for a moment before they rolled back in her head, and then Kara promptly face planted on Cat's office floor before she could catch her.

"Kara! Hayashi! Call for an ambulance!" Cat's heart was beating fast. Winn had told her earlier that Kara had been sick the night before. When Kara had appeared with her coffee refill, Cat had assumed Winn had just lied to cover for the fact Kara had come in late to work. Cat regretted even letting Kara stay in her office; she should have sent her home immediately.

"Don't do this to me kid," Cat muttered as she carefully flipped the girl face up. She gasped loudly at the clearly broken nose bleeding steadily across Kara's face. Cat could hear Hayashi and James arguing in the doorway.

"Make a hole, idiots!" Lucy pushed her way through Hayashi and James with a giant army medical bag. Cat had no idea where Lucy had pulled that from but she was grateful at the woman's smooth grace under pressure.

"Where the hell is the ambulance?" Cat shouted at the two men. Winn pushed through them to join Lucy kneeling beside Kara. James was on the phone with someone, hopefully getting an ambulance. Hayashi scowled in the doorway, his face dark with displeasure. He hit one of the switches on the wall near the entrance and her normally transparent office walls frosted over completely. Satisfied the office was blocked from nosy onlookers, Hayashi took one last glance at them then walked out of the Fishbowl and closed the door.

"Let's get her into the bathroom to stop the bleeding. Grab the bag, Winn." To Cat's surprise Lucy easily scooped Kara up into her arms and briskly walked into Cat's Executive bathroom where she propped Kara's head on her knees. Cat's tried to keep her own panic attack at bay as Lucy efficiently wiped away the blood and reached for a container in her pack.

"Dr. Henderson says that the smelling salts should work," James reported to Lucy. Cat felt a crushing mixture of fear and regret in her chest. She and Kara were not in a good place right now, Cat would be damned if she let Kara slip into a coma before they worked things out. _I was too hard on her, I drove her to this._

"Good," Lucy said opening the sealed container away from herself. "Because I don't have anything stronger." With little ceremony Lucy broke the seal completely under Kara's bleeding nose. Kara didn't stir.

"Lane do something useful, damnit. She's bleeding everywhere." The blood from Kara's face had seeped down her neck onto her sundress. Cat dug her fingers into the doorframe supporting her. Cat really hated the sight of blood. The coppery scent made her sick.

"Cat I know you're freaking out right now, but shut up." Kara began to twitch into consciousness. Cat finally let out the breath she was holding and loosened her grip on the doorframe of her bathroom. _Kid nearly gave me a damn heart attack_. Cat had to hold back a hysterical laugh when Kara jackknifed into a sitting position and nearly slamming her head into Lucy's chin.

* * *

Kara woke to a wretched smell that she pushed away from her bleeding nose. Lucy was leaning over her, supporting Kara's head from the cold bathroom floor with her knees. Kara could hear garbled voices as Lucy and Cat argued back and forth. Then Kara remembered and sat up so fast she almost knocked into Lucy's chin.

"I'm going to be sick." Kara hadn't thrown up in years. Not since college when Stephanie forced her to try this seafood dish that didn't agree with even her Kryptonian stomach. Lucy pushed Cat's empty bathroom trash can in front of her face. Kara couldn't stop the acid that bubbled up. Tears and blood streaming down her face, Kara puked up the remnants of her breakfast and bile. Lucy held her braid back and supported her back with her other hand. A cool washcloth was draped over her neck and Lucy murmured soothing sounds until Kara was finished and just crying into the trash can. Another washcloth was pressed to her face. Kara noticed Winn on her right, holding the washcloth to her face to stem her bleeding nose.

"You're okay Kara. We've got you. Let it out." Kara was relieved that she could finally hear again as the sound of the ringing in her ears faded into clarity. Cat was pressed tightly against the doorframe a good distance away, but her eyes remained on Kara in concern. James stood beside her, talking on his cellphone.

"Yep the smelling salts worked. Yes, she did. Well it's definitely broken. I think Lucy can set it. We'll take care of her, thank you Dr. Henderson. Okay, I'll let her know."

Kara really hoped Dr. Henderson wouldn't force her back to the DEO. She couldn't face them like this. _Rao, why hadn't she listened to Vasquez and stayed. **Oh shit**. Oh shit, Alex must know by now._ A slur of expletives slipped from Kara's lips before she could stop herself. Only half of them had been in English. Lucy traded spots with Winn and forced Kara to sit up and look at her. Kara whimpered. Lucy was close to her face, tilting her head slightly side to side by her chin. Lucy's mouth was set in a grimace.

"Stay still or I'll have to do it again, and don't you dare hit me on reflex," Lucy murmured as she lined up her fingers on either side of Kara's nose. Winn closed his eyes.

"On three, okay?" Kara nodded tiredly, she wasn't sure how bad this was going to hurt, but she trusted that Lucy knew what she was doing.

"Right. One. Two..." With a crack, Kara's nose was forced back into alignment. Lucy winced at Kara's impressive string of expletives. Tears kept coming as Lucy and Winn efficiently wiped the blood away and taped her nose.

"Shhh. Kara, let's get you home. I told you, you were too sick to come into work today. Upsy Daisy now. Winn, help me steady her." Kara swayed as she stood in the light. Winn dabbed her face with a damp wash cloth to wipe away the last of the blood and tears. James handed her an unopened water bottle to rinse out her mouth with.

"Get out of here, Danvers. I cannot believe you broke one of my primary rules. Now I have to have the entire floor disinfected. You've probably contaminated half of your interns. Out, go home and don't come back until you're symptom free." Cat's voice was sharp, but her face was pressed into concern.

"I'll take her home Cat. Do you mind if I take the rest of the day?" Lucy asked.

"You have copyright cases to be working on."

"Harvard has been acting as my paralegal and you have two other general counsels. Please Cat, Kara can't be left alone like this."

Cat wasn't that cruel to keep Kara's friends from helping her when she clearly needed it. "I suppose. But you're working remote tomorrow if you're going to expose yourself to her germs."

"Of course Ms. Grant."

"Wait no, I need to fix this. Please don't send me home Cat," Kara slurred. The fact that Kara called Cat her name to her face was enough for everyone to know Kara definitely should not be in the office.

"She's delusional. Get her out of here before she faints again." Lucy, true to form, simply lifted Kara up into a piggy back ride, completely uncaring that Kara was dripping blood and crying into her hair.

"Goodbye Ms. Grant. Winn, get Kara's things for me please. James, bring my car around to the front." Lucy's natural leader voice spurred the boys into action as they crossed Cat's office into the silent bullpen. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch Lucy carry their normally iron clad coordinator to the elevator. Murmurs of well wishes floated into the air as Kara buried her face into Lucy's shoulder. Kara's interns were noticeably upset and discreetly wiping teary eyes as Lucy walked by. Hayashi held the elevator door open.

Once the SuperSquad was alone in the elevator, Kara began to weep out loud. "Why did she do that?" Kara cried into Lucy's shoulder. "Why would she do that to me?" Winn took Kara's hand that was dangling to the side. None of them answered her.

"Lucy will get you home and situated. After you've calmed down we can come over and tell you what we know," James offered, his voice a little watery as well.

Lucy began to hum an upbeat tune and swayed gently back and forth. Kara's snotty breathing quieted as she slowly calmed into an exhausted sleep.

* * *

Lucy's heart broke for Kara. She adored the little ray of sunshine James brought into her life, and it absolutely killed her to see Kara in so much distress. Every fiber of Lucy's being was telling her to fix this. Lucy glanced at Kara's sleeping form in the front passenger seat. Her face was ruddy from crying and tight with pain as her broken nose healed.

Parking neatly in the visitor lot in Kara's apartment complex, Lucy didn't bother waking her friend up, instead she just carried her bridal style inside. Thankfully Kara's apartment had an elevator and saved Lucy the trouble of having to carrying Kara up four flights of stairs. Lucy would do it if she had to, but she definitely wouldn't be happy about it. Kara was heavier than she looked.

Lucy was relieved when she entered the apartment and gently deposited her precious cargo on the unmade master bed. Lucy only blinked at the other side clearly being slept in. Alex's reading glasses and the biochemistry book that Alex had bought when they all went to Barnes & Noble last week laid on the bedside table. Kara instinctively rolled into Alex's side of the bed clutching Alex's pillow tight to her body, whimpering softly. Lucy's heart clenched at the display. _God, these two are so obvious._

Lucy rummaged around for something to change Kara into since her sundress was stained with blood. Lucy found a faded Stanford T-Shirt in Kara's dresser and a pair of athletic shorts that looked comfortable. Lucy easily propped Kara up and tried to wake her. Kara's eyes barely opened.

"Alex?" Kara slurred sleepily. Her voice sounded odd with her broken nose.

"Just me, Kara. I need you to help me change you into something comfortable so you can nap, okay?" Kara obliged, turning to allow Lucy help her out of the sundress and into her clean clothes. Kara brought the shirt up to her nose as if to smell it, then immediately fell back asleep. Lucy rearranged her friend into a more comfortable position and checked to make sure her nose hadn't started bleeding again. Satisfied that Kara would be able to sleep peacefully, Lucy turned to move away.

Lucy had never been in the master bedroom of the apartment before, so she was gob smacked when she saw the mounted painting opposite of the bed.

 _Seriously?_ Lucy walked closer to look at the painting more closely. Kara and Alex were pressed tightly together in some kind of dance in the middle of a sunny field. Their jewelry was matching and their white dresses complementing the other. " _Summer Solstice, 2012_ " . Lucy snorted indelicately at the title painted in small delicate letters in the bottom right hand corner. Kara might as well have just painted "I'm in love with you, Alex" on the canvas instead and the message would have been entirely the same.

Lucy shook her head and tip toed out of the master bedroom to sit down in the living room. As she opened the curtains to watch the rain drip on the window, she noticed that Alex's favorite leather jacket was thrown over the back of the couch and a small stack of movies were still wedged between the cushions. Lucy pulled them free to file them back into Kara's impressive DVD collection.

Lucy debated waking Kara up to make sure that she had reset her nose straight, but Lucy was fairly sure Dr. Henderson or Alex herself would re-break and reset it anyway. Lucy rubbed her own nose at the echoing phantom pain of having her nose broken. Lucy had broken plenty of bones over the past ten years of active military duty not including the four years at West Point and the the three years as a reservist while at Harvard. Lucy shivered at the memory of the worst break in her second tour, she still woke up in cold sweats sometimes from that one.

Kara's broken nose reminded Lucy that she was pretty sure Alex had broken her arm yesterday. Lucy could tell from the way Alex was holding Kara in the high resolution photos. Lucy picked up her cell phone and decided she would try and get a hold of Alex just to see what the damage was right now. Lucy scrolled through her contacts and tapped on A. Danvers, a picture of Kara and Alex smiling at the camera lit up as her phone rang. Lucy waited impatiently as the ringing continued.

'You've reached Alex Danvers. Leave me your name and number and I'll get back to you.' Lucy sighed at voicemail prompt.

"Hi Alex, it's Lucy. Just wanted to check in and see how you were feeling. I'm with Kara back at her apartment, she had a panic attack in Cat's office, I'm going to stay until I'm sure she'll be okay or you come home. Call me back when you get the chance." Lucy ended the call with a frown, it was now just over twenty four hours since the Lord Lab Fiasco. Alex should at least be awake by now. Hopefully Alex took the media response better than Kara.

Lucy idled on the couch for a few minutes, tossing one of the throw cushions in the air before getting up to fix a snack. She had never been a stress eater before, but anything with chocolate sounded amazing right now. She had just found Alex's secret stash of Nutella next to a spare sidearm in a false bottom of one of the kitchen drawers when her phone chirped once, indicating an incoming text message.

Spoon in mouth Lucy scrolled through her phone to the notification, ignoring several other texts from various coworkers searching for an update on their beloved Sunshine.

'A. Danvers : Major Lane, Agent Danvers is asleep for now under some heavy pain medication to accelerate her healing process. She will likely need to remain here for the night. Will K becoming back? - Dr. J Lowry'

Lucy knew Lowry from her brief time at the DEO after Red Tornado had tried to kill her. Lucy had been startled at how young Dr. Lowry looked. She was incredibly intelligent and the facility seemed to dote on her slightly.

Lucy considered her reply, glancing at the cracked door to the master bedroom. If she knew Kara - and she was pretty sure she had Kara pegged - Kara was going to cry for a while, eat her weight in ice cream, and then completely avoid Alex until she was forced to talk to her.

'Thank you for the update, Dr. L. I will let K know. It is unlikely she will return tonight, she is very upset atm. But A should try and call me when she can and talk to K. - MAJ. L'

Lucy licked the excess nutella off her spoon waiting for a reply. She didn't have to wait long.

'10-4, A is not happy, V knows more. K suit is toast, R&D want W to come in ASAP. - Dr. L'

Lucy was surprised that the DEO wanted Winn to come in and help with Kara's suit. Just last week Director Henshaw had called Winn and James security threats.

'Update if A med cond changes. - MAJ. L'

'Same for K. - Dr. L'

'Roger that.' Lucy hummed contently a she finished her snack. She appreciated shorthand; James had a tendency to text her long blocks of text messages that took forever to scroll through to get to the point. Kara tended to communicate via emoji and selfies only. Alex texted in shorthand as well. Winn was the only one in their group text that texted like a normal person. Lucy quickly fired off a warning text to Winn that he was probably about to be kidnapped from the office by the DEO. Lucy's phone chirped again.

' D: ' was the only thing Winn had replied with, so she assumed he got the message. Lucy checked the time, it was a little after 1300 and Kara had been asleep for about an hour and half. She estimated Kara's stomach would eventually wake her so Lucy dialled for Chinese food, Kara's favorite comfort food.

Satisfied that she had all her bases covered, Lucy returned to the couch and opened up her messenger bag. She shuffled through some paperwork and a Catco magazine until her hand skimmed over a sketchpad. She slowly brought the sketchpad out and placed it on the coffee table in front of her with a gentle thud. If the media storm hadn't cemented her belief that Kara was in love with Alex, then the sketchpad certainly would have. Alex, on the other hand, was like trying to take water from a stone - that's how tightly she held on to her secrets.

 _But, surely Alex knew right?_ Lucy was never sure with Alex, she was impossible to read at times. Alex preferred to keep things close to the chest, which for the most part, Lucy respected. At the same time she thought it must be pretty lonely always holding back how Alex felt. Lucy was pretty sure the only times she saw Alex display any candid emotions was in response to Kara. Lucy often wondered what happened in Kara and Alex's shared past that made them so incredibly codependent.

Despite Kara being a bubbly extrovert, she had very few close friends. In fact, before Lucy and James moved to National City, Lucy got the feeling that the only friends Kara had were Winn and Alex. One of whom was awkwardly in love with her and the other who was her foster sister (and probably also awkwardly in love with her). And Lucy had never seen Alex with anyone else besides Kara outside of work.

Lucy might not have a psychiatry degree, but she was pretty sure isolating yourself and focusing your whole world on one person was pretty unhealthy, no matter how much you love that person. From what Lucy could tell from Alex and Kara's shared stories about Eliza, the older woman had been a complete enabler for that codependent behavior, had encouraged it even. It probably should have been a big warning sign to somebody when Kara had a complete breakdown when Alex went away to college for the first time. "Separation Anxiety," Kara had told her seriously over ice cream a few months ago, "I still have problems with it sometimes." _No kidding._

Lucy didn't blame Kara for latching on to Alex. Lucy would have done the same if she had been in Kara's position all those years ago. Lucy tried to imagine little 12 year old Kara meeting Alex for the first time. Was it an instantaneous connection? Two souls finding each other and latching together desperately trying to close the distance, or was it a slow burning process that was still smoldering? Years and years of pent up feeling and repression all coming to a tipping point? _Probably a little of everything._

It always struck Lucy as odd whenever they introduced each other to other people. It was almost always, "This is Kara/Alex." And once the new person looked confused and introduced themselves, the the other would say "Nice to meet you, I'm Kara/Alex Danvers." Sometimes, depending on the situation, one of both of them would add Dr. to their title to show off their . In normal conversation, most people add a modifier when introducing other people. Like "this is my lovely friend, Lucy" which is how Kara introduced Lucy to everyone. So, Lucy knows they don't just have some weird verbal tick, they purposefully keep their relationship status vague and let others draw their own conclusions.

The conclusion most people come to, at least that Lucy has observed, is that the two are married. Kara and Alex do nothing to dissuade them of the notion, and since their normal behaviour is ridiculously coupley no one ever questions it further. Everytime this happened, Lucy always wondered if they were doing this knowingly or if it was such an ingrained habit that they didn't notice people's assumptions. _Well, they make a for a beautiful couple anyway, regardless if they actually are one or not._

Considering the sketchbook Kara had left in Lucy's office yesterday when Kara had leapt out of her balcony to go respond to the trouble at Lord Lab, Lucy was pretty sure Kara was at least deeply in love with Alex.

Lucy shouldn't have let her curiosity get the better of her. Kara had been studiously sketching for twenty minutes while Lucy worked through their lunch break, and Lucy had been dying to know what Kara had been drawing. Lucy had been both surprised and unsurprised to find a sketch of Alex's grinning face. Lucy had never seen Alex smile that wide before. Kara had doodled Alex's name on the corner as 'Alexandra Danvers-El' with a little House of El symbol stylized next to the name. Even if they weren't married now, clearly Kara wanted them to be.

 _That settles it then. I'm going to have to have an intervention with Kara_ , Lucy thought to herself as she waited for their food delivery by the door. _Sometimes, you just need to bite the bullet. And if that means talking about things that make you uncomfortable for the sake of love, then so be it. And Lois says I'm not a romantic._ Lucy scoffed silently to herself, neatly plating her order and setting up Kara's buffet style for her to devour later.

Lucy took a carton of Kara's favorite fried rice and walked it to the master bedroom. Kara was now completely on Alex's side of the bed, clutching the pillow and sheets to her chest as if she was trying to hold something that wasn't there. Silently Lucy stepped closer toward the sleeping Kryptonian, but out of her immediate range of motion just in case she startled Kara and wound up flying through a wall or something. Lucy wafted the steaming rice towards Kara's face.

The result was comical enough that Lucy wished she had thought to record the moment; Kara blearily grabbed her own sheets as if to chew on them. Lucy moved the carton closer. It wasn't quite as effective as smelling salts, but Kara was certainly awake now - judging by the grumpy tilt of her lips.

"Whaa..mmhpf." Lucy snickered at Kara's elegant greeting and helped her sit up.

"Welcome back Sunshine, did you have a nice nap?" Lucy handed Kara the carton and a fork that Kara immediately used to shovel the rice into her mouth. Lucy coaxed Kara to stand and led her back to the living room to eat. Lucy placed her own plate on the coffee table as Kara slumped against the couch.

"Luce, I had the weirdest dream." Kara began stuffing some sweet and sour chicken into her mouth and chewed quickly. Lucy had learned early on not to watch Kara eat, it was like watching a train wreck; horrible, but unable to look away from.

"Oh yeah, well we can talk about it after we eat. This is my favorite." Lucy smiled at, Kara hoping that her sleepy brain didn't catch up too quickly. Kara nodded seriously reaching for the spring rolls.

"So you'll never guess what Lois texted me last night." Kara's eyes lit up at the prospect of gossip, then her eyes narrowed in confusion when her happy expression pulled enough of her face muscles to cause her nose to smart. Kara gingerly reached up to massage her nose.

"Don't touch that. Anyway, Lois told me that she was following up on lead when she walked in on the Mayor and like half of the Metropolis city council." Kara nearly choked, her eyes wide.

"Yep. Apparently, the Mayor had been sent something in the mail that released aphrodisiacs in his office and started an orgy. Lois is still trying to figure out who sent it." Kara looked horrified, then thoughtful for a moment.

"She should try and talk to Batman, that sound's like something Dr. Ivy would do." Lucy considered it, nodding in agreement. Poison Ivy probably wasn't happy about the new fertilizer law the council passed.

"I'm sure Lois will figure it out. She might need brain bleach later though." Kara laughed deeply, her body shaking with the force of her delight. Kara clutched her side to support herself while she laughed, and Lucy knew immediately that the distraction was over.

Kara set down her plate and pulled up her shirt, revealing her well defined six pack and a large bandage covering her right side from just under her breast to hip. Kara dropped her shirt and walked to the window to look at her reflection as she gently touched her nose. Lucy could see tears beginning to form and brought out her secret weapon.

"Hey Karaaa, look what I found." Kara turned and found Lucy holding a spoon and the rest of the jar of nutella that Kara definitely was not supposed to eat. Nutella was a bit like crack to Kara, and if her friends weren't careful Kara would eat it with every meal. Faster than Lucy could get away, Kara snatched the items from Lucy and curled up protectively on the couch again. Lucy smiled and unfolded the soft throw blanket to drape over Kara's defensive position.

"It wasn't a dream," Kara muttered accusingly at Lucy, looking like a despondent puppy. Lucy joined Kara on the same couch to sit beside her, not touching, but close enough to reassure Kara.

"No, it wasn't a dream. But you didn't get a chance to get to see the full story before you got overwhelmed and had a panic attack." Kara's head peeked over the blanket in horror.

"I had a panic attack at Catco." It wasn't a question, so Lucy patted Kara's exposed sock covered feet.

"Yeah, you did. But it wasn't your fault. You've had a rough two days and we should have made sure that you weren't put into a position like that."

"Cat's going to fire me. Rule number two is no crying at Catco."

"She's not going to fire you. And I don't care what the rest of you say, I think she still favors you. And you shouldn't be embarrassed or anything. Winn did some great damage control and told everyone you had been sick, but tried to come in to prove a point and failed when you fainted. The throwing up in the executive bathroom was a nice touch, really sold the story." Lucy's personal brand of reassurance was always steeped in schadenfreude.

"That's even worse! Rule number one is never come in sick to Catco." Lucy smiled, despite everything, it was really sweet how much Kara loved her job.

"Hey, look at me," Kara's eyes were barely visibly over the hem of her blanket. "You nearly gave Cat a heart attack in her office. You should have heard her crying for an ambulance. Obviously we couldn't let you get in an ambulance, but she was beside herself with worry. She cares about you and I'm pretty sure the real reason she was upset you turned down Adam was because she let herself get excited at the idea of having you as a daughter in law." Kara scoffed. Lucy pushed her with her socked feet in response.

"I'm serious, I think she was planning wedding venues the moment he asked if you were single. Which actually conveniently brings us to the elephant in the room. You and Alex." Kara immediately pulled the blanket over her head. Lucy was undeterred and poked Kara with her foot again.

"I know you want to know what happened after you got hurt. I promise I'll give you the facts before we get to feelings."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You gotta Kara. Alex knows, and eventually you're gonna have to talk to her."

"I'm out of Nutella." Kara was stalling, but Lucy was inclined to indulge her.

"I'm not surprised. Lucky for you, Alex loves you and stocked your freezer full of ice cream two days ago. What flavor do you want?"

"Chocolate." Lucy rummaged through the packed freezer for the carton in question.

"Fine. Here, now sit up so I can show you some of the articles that have been circulating." Kara reluctantly pulled down the blanket covering her head and sat up slightly to accept the carton of ice cream. Lucy plopped beside her with her tablet ready to go.

"Okay, so first you tell me what happened after you jumped off my balcony yesterday."

Kara began speaking slowly and carefully about the previous day. She stopped after a time, unable to speak when she recalled how quickly the robot had thrown Cooper out of the seven story window. "I couldn't save him. I heard him scream the whole way down," she said in a pained voice.

"Jesus, Kara. I'm sorry." Kara closed her eyes in pain, slow tears leaking down her cheeks.

"And then I saw what happened to Jimenez when the robot kicked me through a wall. We had all been on the roof when the robot released the smoke bomb. When I fell I created a massive hole as I crashed to the seventh floor. Jimenez must have lost his footing and fell on a broken support beam, I'm glad I was unconscious when it happened. Jimenez was one of my favorite agents; he had a bunch of kids and told bad dad jokes, and I killed him." Lucy pulled Kara closer to her, sometimes all you could do to comfort someone was give them a hug.

"Oh Kara, that wasn't your fault. Accidents happen. And I can tell you from experience, no matter how hard you train or how much you prepare, you aren't always going to be able to get everyone out alive. People die in combat, whether it's against a human, alien, or android. It doesn't matter. Sometimes, life is just a game of chance."

"I should do something for his family and I should check on Agent Cooper's dogs."

"Kara, you should rest. I understand you feel guilty, but you need to get better before spreading yourself too thin. Finish your story, what happened after you got knocked through a wall."

"I was punch drunk, so I actually thought I was hallucinating when Alex appeared out of nowhere. I really don't remember much after that until Alex is carrying me away." Kara answered.

Lucy nodded and scrolled through her tablet in concentration.

"Well as you were evacuated from the building, apparently there was a Gawker paparazzi who had snuck in past the barricade." Lucy brought up the three now famous photos in question and lined them up side by side so Kara could look at them. Kara's finger trailed along Alex's terrified face in the first shot.

"Cat showed me the footage from the Gawker too, here. Look at this and tell me what you see." Lucy swiped right, pulled up a video clip, and hit play. Kara's eyes watched intently as glass rained down from the seventh floor window, then Alex and Kara descended - only for Alex's line to snap one story above the ground. After Alex had carried her away, Kara saw it. The angle showed Kara pulling herself up by Alex's vest til their heads were touching, the slight tilt of Kara's head made it look like Kara had just kissed her rescuer. Then Kara wrapped her arms around Alex's neck and they're pulled away by Dr. Lowry to the waiting helicopter. The camera tracked the helicopter until it was out of sight.

"Here's the angle the Melissa got of the same thing." Lucy started the second clip further along right at the point Kara pulls herself up to look at Alex, her hand cupping the side of Alex's cheek brushing away the blood there. Kara could see her own lips move and sat dumbstruck as the injured version of herself tenderly said, 'I love you' to Alex. The words were distinctive enough that they could be read all the way from Melissa's press position. In the video Kara's head tilted closer towards Alex's - obscuring her lips and pretty much confirming to everyone that wasn't actually standing right next to them that Kara had kissed Alex in thanks or relief.

Kara sat quietly for a moment and brought a hand up to cover her lips. _Had she kissed Alex?_ Kara wasn't even sure now; both angles were pretty damning, and she was pretty out of it when Alex had gotten her out of there. _Did she kiss Alex and seriously not remember it?_

"So after looking at that, if you don't know anything else beyond an unknown government agent just saved Supergirl, what do you think happened?"

"I would think that.. I would think that Supergirl and the agent probably knew each other really well, and that Supergirl kissed the agent. From Melissa's side, if you saw that, I would have assumed that Supergirl and the agent were probably involved." Even as she said the words, they tasted like battery acid on her tongue. Lucy slowly nodded her head and brought up Cat's article.

"It certainly looks that way from the outside doesn't it? Cat had to pay a heavy copyright transfer fee to keep the Gawker from running the story themselves. Who knows what that rag would have printed? Cat got the copyright to the photos and decided that if the world was going to see these whether she published them or not, she at least better be the first one to print about it. Cat did some major damage control with this article, it's really well written. Here." Lucy handed Kara back the tablet in exchange for the empty carton of ice cream.

Kara's eyes darted at superhuman speed back and forth. To be fair to Cat, the article was pretty tame compared to some of the articles Kara had edited for her in the past. Cat had a pretty accurate timeline of events and some great quotes from some Lord Labs employees. Cat had decided to call Alex, 'Agent X', in reference to her tac vest and lack of name. _Better than Nemo, I guess._

Thankfully, Cat only noted the familiarity and closeness between the two rather than speculating outright on the nature of their relationship. Then went on to debate superhero tactics and how having back up in the field is important and how amazing it was that a human like Agent X could keep up and even save such a powerful being like Supergirl. Kara knew that Cat was really trying to emphasize Agent X's ability in order not to undermine Kara's own ability by implying a human had to save her from certain death.

"You've got to admit Agent X is a catchy name." Kara is more concerned about how clearly everyone can see Alex's face than the stupid nickname Cat had branded her with. Would people recognize her in the street? If Kara wanted to get breakfast with Alex at Noonan's, would Maggie be able to tell?

"Okay so Cat releases this article early this morning, then what? The AP picked it up and ran with it?"

"To put it mildly. Every major paper from here to Metropolis ran the story in the morning edition today. Then the Daily Planet released a critical response article to Cat's assessment on superhero tactics. Then the Post released a pro-LGBT+ response to your partnership. And then all hell pretty much broke loose, everyone wanted to add their two cents on your relationship, suddenly #SuperX is trending on every major social media site. I bookmarked the major articles for you to read. I'll warn you, over half of them are trying to figure out who Alex is, so try not to get upset."

" **Udolshahkh**!" Lucy raised an eyebrow. Kara's mind was racing, what would they do if Alex's identity is completely compromised? What would the press say if they found out who Alex was, then found out her foster sister looked a whole lot like Supergirl? Kara shuddered.

"Damnit," Kara repeated - this time in English for Lucy's benefit. Kara read through the offending articles at superspeed. Lucy hadn't been exaggerating. Thunder crashed and the lights flickered out in Kara's apartment. The glow of the tablet lit their immediate vicinity. Kara sighed, halfway relieved at the distraction.

"Hold on Luce, let me go get some candles." With superspeed Kara strategically placed candles in the living room and kitchen, creating a warm glow in the room. Lucy glanced up from her phone as Kara finished lighting the last candle.

"Storm is picking up. Winn just texted me, he's on his way with dinner and some stuff for you. James is stuck at the office at the moment, but he'll join us later if you want." Kara sat back down and curled up next to Lucy letting the older woman throw her arm around her.

"Hey. It's going to be okay you know."

"What if it's not though, Luce? What if Alex is mad or grossed out that people think we're together? Or what if she's not mad, but it ruins our relationship because things are too awkward? What if I lose her?" Each question rose progressively in pitch until Kara's voice was high with barely held back hysteria. Lucy tightened her grip to keep Kara in place.

"I can't. I can't lose her Lucy. She...I...Alex is everything to me, I can't even explain. After Krypton was destroyed, I had nothing. Just a cousin I barely knew in a strange world where everything was overwhelming and fragile. And then Kal took me to the Danvers, and when I saw Alex… it was like I found a purpose again." Kara hugged a throw pillow to her chest and stared at the rain splattering on the windows.

"She's the one that keeps me grounded when I'm lost and the one who lifts me up when I'm down. I can't lose her, it...it would destroy me in ways Kryptonite can't." Kara was gripping the throw pillow too tight to her chest, bits of fluff had started to escape from the seams.

"You love her. You're in love with her." Lucy said, pointing out the obvious. Kara cried.

"I love her. I love her so damn much, losing her now would kill me."

"I don't think you're going to lose her. Because Kara, listen to me, Alex loves you too. I have never seen such complete and unselfish devotion before I saw the way she looked at you. Even if it's awkward at first, you two desperately need to talk about your feelings. And in the off chance Alex isn't as grossly in love with you as you are with her, you still won't lose her. Lois told me that Kryptonians have a phrase to describe it, zor cao sesur?"

" **Zhor chao shesur** , heart and soul. It's what Kryptonians use to describe the bond between true pairings. Unbreakable."

"Look Kara, sometimes the universe fights for two souls to be together. Not even two thousand light years between Krypton and Earth could keep you two apart. Have faith; it will work out." Kara relaxed marginally, releasing the now flat throw pillow from her clutches and focused on breathing deeply. Lucy was smart and somehow knew just what to say.

Lucy glanced at her watch.

"Winn should be here soon, I'm going to go down stairs and help him bring up the stuff since the power is off and he's going to have to walk up the stairs. Stay put, okay? I'll be right back with food." Kara nodded as Lucy stood and handed Kara her sketchbook.

"Here I meant to give this back to you. You left it in my office yesterday. You're really talented, Kara. I'll be back soon." Lucy squeezed Kara's shoulder one last time before putting on one of Kara's spare jackets and slipping out the door.

* * *

Let it be said that Winn would do pretty much anything for Kara. He was more than willing to hack into police databases, hospital records, even board members' emails for her; but getting kidnapped from his own place of work is totally not what he signed up for when the SuperSquad came together.

If it hadn't been for Lucy's warning, Winn probably would have peed his pants when a blonde agent pulled him into a supply closet then dragged him through the ventilation to a service elevator shaft. Winn was pretty sure he was going to have nightmares from the agent's unholy laughter when she strapped him into a rig and sent him hurling down the elevator shaft. Okay - hurling was an exaggeration, technically she did lower him by hand, but still.

And then there was the whole black bag over the head thing which was as terrifying as the movies made it seem. When the blonde agent finally removed the bag from his head, he almost wished she would put it back on because Director Henshaw was terrifying with those glowing red eyes.

"So you're Winslow Schott."

It wasn't a question, but Winn nodded and added "Junior" before he could stop himself.

"Excuse me?" The blonde agent snickered behind him.

"Winslow Schott, Junior. But really please call me Winn, for obvious reasons."

"Right, Winn. Agent Danvers tells me you're decent with a sewing machine and that you made Supergirl's previous outfit."

"Yes, sir. I mean, some of it had to be hand stitched, but yeah I'm great with a sewing machine."

"Good, this is Agent Vasquez, and you just met Agent Collins. Agent Collins is going to show you to the R&D lab where we've been working on some prototype suits for Supergirl, we want to you to have something put together within the next six hours."

"Six hours? Right sure. Is there a particular design I need to go with or just, umm, remake the old one?"

"New design, something more mature, no skirt this time. It's impractical. I don't care what Kara told you. Also, Agent Danvers and Supergirl have been developing some sort of tandem fighting style that needs grips added to key areas on Supergirl's suit. I have no idea what it actually is, but Agent Danvers's notes are at your disposal."

"Okay. Um, one more thing? Can I see Alex before I get started? I just wanted to see if she was okay after yesterday." Director Henshaw traded looks with the tired looking agent next to him.

"Vasquez?"

"It might do her some good actually. Maybe she can explain the grips she wants added."

"Fine, Agent Collins will escort you to the Sunroom. Or as I now call it, the Danvers Suite. Under no circumstances should Agent Danvers be getting out of bed, so don't you dare try and sneak her out."

"Sir, I would never." Henshaw glared at him to make sure the message was clear. _Message received loud and clear. Alex was right, he is exactly like a worried father._

"We're done here. Vasquez. Collins. Out, go make yourselves useful." The slender agent tapped Winn on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow.

Agent Collins led him through a confusing series of turns that had Winn half sure they had doubled back at least once, until finally leading him to a gray blast door with 'SUNROOM' painted in caution tape yellow on it. Below the label was a sideways 8.5 x 11in piece of paper that said 'THE DANVERS SUITE' and had two caricatures underneath of Alex in her tac suit and Kara in her old Supergirl costume holding hands. Winn was half tempted to take a photo of it, but when he reached for his phone he realized that Agent Collins must have lifted it from his pocket sometime on the way here.

Collins knocked on the door.

"Agent Danvers! You have a visitor."

"Go Away!"

Agent Collins whistled as she tried the door, but seemed unworried when it didn't open.

"Come on Danvers, it's just the computer geek Supergirl hangs out with at work. Don't make me get the Chief to override the door, you know how pissed she gets. And after your little Houdini stunt with Lowry this morning you're already on her shit list." There was a pause.

"I hate you. It's open." Collins smiled widely at Winn's terrified face. "She's not that scary I swear. She's just grumpy because she's been craving donuts and none of us will go get her any." Winn blinked in confusion, but decided he'd rather not know and just opened the door.

Alex looked pretty small all curled up in her hospital bed, hooked up to several machines. She had her back facing the door, and she was staring at the faintly glowing table aligned parallel with her hospital bed. Winn guessed that was the inactive sunbed Kara had mentioned before.

"Alex?" Alex sighed and sat up in bed to see him. She looked pretty beat up and was wearing a complex looking cast from knuckle to elbow on her right arm. Alex had always been pale, but to Winn it looked like someone had washed all the color out of her. Her hair, her eyes, and her skin all looked dull. Winn scratched his neck in a nervous reflex.

"Hey Winn. You're here for Kara's new suit?" Winn walked a little closer, well aware of the various objects on the side table that could be used as projectiles if necessary. Alex had great aim and regularly tossed game pieces, food, and occasionally magazines at him during game nights when she thought he was cheating.

"Well, that and I wanted to make sure you were okay. You did take down two really big bad dudes yesterday. Almost single handedly. Get it? Single handed. Yeah, I'll shut up now." Apparently Alex was not in the mood for badly executed broken arm jokes. Collins seemed to think it was hilarious though. Whether it was the joke or Alex's glare, Winn couldn't be certain.

"I'll be fine. And if my colleagues had any sympathy at all they would go get me a damn donut." The last part was directed at Collins who was wiping at a tear of laughter beside him. Winn dove to the right just as Alex's left hand plucked an empty canister off her desk and whipped it at Collins's head. To Winn's surprise and Alex's obvious disappointment, Collins snagged the canister out of the air with ease.

"I'm done, I swear. And don't be such a crybaby. Chief has forbidden you from sweets while you're grounded, and no one is stupid enough to cross her now. Maybe you could go ask Dad again." Alex chucked a pill bottle at her this time.

"Why are you even here, Collins? Winn and I are trying to have a conversation like civilized people."

"Sorry Commander, I'm on babysitting duty. But this time, it's not you I have to babysit and make sure doesn't wander off. Mr. Schott here isn't allowed out of my sight, and yes before you ask, that includes the restrooms." Winn wasn't sure if the agent was kidding. Winn really hoped she was kidding. Alex was running out of ammo as she threw a closed water bottle at Collins. This time it connected with her forehead. Winn winced in sympathy.

"Ouch, Commander. Here I am trying to entertain you and keep you out of trouble and this is the thanks I get? I see how it is." Collins tone reminded Winn a lot of what he guessed an annoying older sibling would sound like and it looked like Alex agreed.

"Anyway," Alex turned pointedly to ignore Agent Collins amused grin. "I'll be fine, the raw materials I've finalized are in my lab along with some suggested designs, you can swap the designs around until you find a combo you like and just go with that. I need you to make sure that the grips are secured at the points indicated or I'm going to land on my ass anytime Kara and I try tandem fighting."

"Speaking of, I don't really understand what you mean by grips and what they're for." Winn took out his pocket notebook to jot down the requests.

"You ever try to hold on to a superhero when they're flying like 200 mph? Very difficult if said superhero isn't holding you in place. The grips are indents and protrusions along Kara's uniform that basically act as hand holds that you can lock in on. Think of like a rock climbing course at a gym. Same thing." Winn tried to imagine what kind of fighting you would need hand holds on a uniform in order to be effective.

"What's this have to do with tandem fighting? Whatever that is." Alex closed her eyes with a sigh as if she had explained this a hundred times already.

"Kara and I have been working on a fighting style in our spare time that we could both use together in the field without sacrificing our individual strengths. The grips are solely for me to have a place to catch myself, hold on to, or jump off of to hit an opponent."

"Wait jump off of… Are you sure Director Henshaw is okay with that?" Alex coughed and glared.

"Better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission. Watch our testing tape, I think it will work."

"Right sure, let a Kryptonian toss you around and jump off her suit like it's a jungle gym. Got it, no pressure. I'll make it happen." Alex ignored the obvious sarcasm.

"Thanks you, oh... and Winn? If you see Kara tonight please just…tell her...I'll see her tomorrow when I'm released." Winn smiled sadly at her, but nodded in agreement.

"Will do. Hang in there Alex, it will all work out."

"I hope so Winn."

* * *

Winn shivered, trying to wipe away the memory like the cold rain that just managed to trickle down his neck. He would rather forget all about the DEO and its eerie acoustics. Lucy was waiting for him at the side entrance of Kara's dark apartment building with her phone's flashlight app on.

"Hey, Luce. I've got the stuff you wanted." Lucy took the food off his hands with a smile and ushered him into the stairwell.

"Awesome. Elevator's out so we have to walk to the top floor for now. How was Alex?"

"Sad. Sullen, even. We didn't talk about the articles or anything, just what Alex wanted for the...clothes." Winn remembered last second that they were in a public stairwell and bit the word supersuit off before it managed to slip out. Lucy looked amused at his stutter.

"Well, great now we have two grumpy Danvers to deal with."

"I think it will work out, Alex asked me to tell Kara that she'd see her tomorrow, so one way or another this is going to get resolved soon. Hopefully."

"That's encouraging. I've been trying to reassure Kara for the last five hours or so, she's really cut up about this."

"We just need to be as supportive as possible then, try and make things easier for them."

"Reading my mind Winny, in you go." Winn rolled his eyes at the much hated nickname but barely made it two steps in the door before he was hugged by a tearful Kryptonian. Lucy walked around them to set the food down. Winn dropped his duffle bag and wrapped his arms around Kara, allowing for the door to click shut behind him. Kara trembled a little in his arms. Winn rocked them slowly and patted Kara on the back.

"You're okay, Kara. Alex is doing well, you're safe, she's safe, and I brought you food and presents." Winn knows he can't fully reassure his best friend, but for now this was enough. He broke the hug to pick up his bag.

"Want to see your presents?" Kara grinned and fluttered a little bit in the air in anticipation. Winn laughed at her and cleared space on the dining room table to lay out the packages. First he handed her a smallish box.

"Open that first. Don't shake it, technically it's breakable." Winn had learned his lesson in giving Kara gifts after the last Christmas disaster. Winn had bought a Nintendo 3DS for Kara so they could battle pokemon together, but Kara had broken it when she shook the package too vigorously.

Kara tore into the brown wrapping paper that the DEO had on hand for sending packages with the zeal of a child at a birthday party. Kara 'ooooohed' over the fancy case he had placed on her new phone.

"That's one of a kind by the way. Your carrier and number are still the same, and I managed to save your highscores on all those math quiz apps you had on your last phone. I transferred all of your contacts, updated you to the newest software, and custom modded the phone to automatically transfer to bluetooth when it's stored in your suit."

"Wicked. I love the case." The case was pretty in pastel blue so that it would match Kara Danvers's normal work attire palette, no one should ever see Kara's phone in her Supergirl persona since it had its own protective slot in her boot.

Winn dug out the next box, which was the heaviest - then two boxes that were about the same size. Winn was glad he went through the trouble of wrapping them because Kara always seemed to light up when opening boxes and presents. Winn handed her the box containing her suit.

"Open that one first."

Kara tore into it with glee and gasped in appreciation at the new suit. Kara pulled it out of the box completely and held it up to her chest for Lucy to look at. The top was almost exactly the same except he had added more emphasized seams to reinforce the places where the subtle grips had been placed. Winn had needed to switch out the hemline of the arms for a heavier golden V trim made of a synthetic microweave that would cling to each wrist.

The belt was the same for the most part - except for the barely noticeable grips on each hip and one in the center of the backside of the belt. The top continued on in one piece to form dark blue pants with similar red emphasized seams as the top. The grips that sat on an interval on the outside portion of the thighs were slightly wider to support the weight of a boot. The pants ended just above the ankle where the material would cling to Kara's skin.

"It looks awesome! You added the grips! I can't believe Alex got Hank to approve them." Winn decided he wasn't going to be the one to tell her that Director Henshaw didn't really understand that Kara was planning on flinging and catching Alex at regular intervals during fights.

"Okay boots or cape, you pick." He drummed his fingers on each box in turn to allow Kara to choose.

"Boots!" Winn and Lucy shared a look as Kara unwrapped her new shoes.

"Woah. What's up with this strappy part?" Winn held up one of the boots to show Kara the features.

"Your boots have wide grips at two inch intervals from ankle to pant leg. The added weight of supporting another person on one shoe would have caused your boots to slip off in a fight. We add a synthetic microweave to the top of the boot to cause it to basically velcro to you pants, and this strappy part is the anchor that acts as a failsafe if the microweave fails. That way you don't lose a shoe and Alex in the process." Kara nodded, fiddling with the other boot and examining the grips.

"Now last, but certainly not least, your cape. I hope you don't mind, but I've upgraded Clark's old baby blanket into something a little more fetching. The cape is edged in a synthetic polymer that adds weight to the cape to help with your aerodynamics. And you're supposed to anchor it at the neck and shoulders for the full effect." Kara twirled with the cape, eyes lit up with glee.

"Put them on Kara, I want to see the full thing," Lucy encouraged. Kara gathered her uniform and sprinted to her bathroom at human speed. Lucy and Winn waited a few minutes as they opened up the soups and sandwiches Winn had brought for dinner. Soft footfalls caused them to look up, both of their jaws dropped.

Kara looked amazing in her new uniform. With her hair curled Supergirl style and clad in her new cape and boots, Kara looked at least five years older. The suit change was really going to help separate the Kara Danvers and Supergirl identity.

"Kara you look incredible. Like you're gonna go punch a god in the face and win."

 _Lucy certainly had a way with words._

"Hold on, let me take a picture. Give me your best Supergirl pose." Kara put her hands on her hips and pushed her chest out, her eyes staring off in the distance. She looked almost regal. Winn snapped a photo and sent it to Alex, Winn's phone buzzed back immediately.

"Alex : Oh my god. You did an amazing job Winn, she looks great. I think we can say this design is a winner, I'll authorize to have you come make a few spares later next week." Kara looked disappointed as she read over his shoulder.

"Alex : And tell Kara she should probably check her phone." Kara leapt for her new phone to power it on. The three's eyes widened at the sheer number of missed calls and texts Kara had.

"Holy Shit, did someone leak your number?"

"No, almost all of these are Catco related." Kara began to scroll through the messages and missed calls.

"My interns freaking out, Cat's requests from last night, and demands for updates on how long I plan to be out 'because your interns are already driving me crazy'."

"That's Cat's way of saying get well soon." Kara snorted like a lady and continued to scroll.

"Hayashi at like 6am telling me not to bother to come into work today. Weird. And increasingly worried texts on how I'm feeling. Great, I bet Hayashi and Cat are just egging the other on right now."

"It still amazes me how someone as sweet and gentle as Hayashi can get along so well with Cat Grant."

"They balance each other out. A bunch are just random Catco employees telling me to get well soon. Two are from headhunters, which how they got my personal cell phone number I have no clue, but I'm not interested in another job. Oh."

"What?"

"I have 52 missed calls from Eliza. I'm so getting kicked out of the family." Lucy shoved her in the shoulder.

"You are not, she's probably just worried about you and Alex. Send her a text telling her you'll call her tomorrow. And for godsake Kara."

"What?"

"Call Alex." Even dressed in her Supergirl uniform, Kara trembled at the thought.

"I can't. Not yet." Winn sighed loudly.

"Both of you are driving me crazy you know. Dragging this out is only hurting you."

"I'd rather talk to Alex face to face than have her reject me over the phone." Winn dragged his hand from his forehead to his lips, comically pulling the skin down in exasperation. Winn loved Kara to pieces, but honestly she could be as dense as a brick wall when it came to people's feelings.

"Kara, I don't know how many times Lucy and I can say it, but Alex isn't going to reject you." Kara put her phone down on the coffee table and began to walk back to her bedroom.

"I'm going to change." Winn turned to look at Lucy who made an aggravated gesture with her hands. Winn could sympathize. They waited as they finished off their dinners, Kara's soup was beginning to get cold when they realized Kara wasn't going to come back.

Lucy and Winn rock-paper-scissored to determine who would check on the girl with super strength. Winn lost. Lucy shooed him away and returned to lounge on the couch, probably to text James back on their progress.

Winn gathered up his courage and knocked on Kara's door.

"Go away." Winn suddenly got deja vu at the familiar words and situation. Winn inhaled the strong scent of eucalyptus to calm himself. He needed to be strong for Kara right now.

"Kara please. Talk to me?" Winn sat crossed legged with his back to Kara's door, leaning his head back to listen.

"I'm afraid," Kara said eventually. Her voice sounded significantly muffled through the door.

"Of what?" He asked, because honestly there were a lot of things he would be afraid of if he was in Kara's shoes.

"Can I tell you a story?" It seemed like an odd redirection, but Winn was a sucker for a good story.

"Of course you can."

"Have I ever told you about the bonfire night?"

Kara had, just once. Alex had been out of town on an assignment in Washington. Winn had brought Kara dinner and the new Pixar animated movie Kara had wanted to see over for movie night. They had somehow gotten on the topic of ocean tides when Kara had gone quiet and told him about the time she had needed to save Alex from being swept away in a storm tide.

"Yeah, Alex nearly drowned around the cliffs near your childhood home. You flew her to the hospital in the pouring rain." As if on cue, thunder rattled the apartment.

"Something happened while Alex was still in the hospital, before Eliza showed up." This was news to Winn, Kara didn't mention what happened after they got to the hospital, just the injuries Alex sustained.

"What happened Kara?"

"I was….really upset Alex got hurt, nearly died. We had that big fight right before the storm came in and I was so afraid that she was going to die after my last words were to her that I hated her." Winn frowned because it was completely out of character for Kara to hate anyone, especially Alex, Kara's self proclaimed favorite human.

"Everyone fights sometimes, Kara. Sometimes when we fight we say awful things we don't mean. It's..it's what makes us unique, we make mistakes and that's okay."

"It wasn't okay to me. They let me stay with her once she got out of surgery. I needed reassurance that she was okay, that she was alive. So, I crawled into her hospital bed and just cried until Alex woke up." Winn could hear the soft weeping through the door. Winn wondered how much Kara had cried today. Not for the first time, Winn cursed the damn paparazzi who had started this.

"But Alex woke up, Kara. She's safe," He reminded her gently.

"I kissed her." _Oh. Well, that would explain the brooding._

"When she woke up?" He had to know if Kara had 'Sleeping Beautied' Alex awake.

"Yes. She was so out of it on pain meds and I was so upset I couldn't bear the thought of losing her and I just lost it, and I kissed her." Even if the circumstances had been dire, it was still pretty romantic if you thought about it.

"What happened?" _Surely, Alex kissed her back. Who wouldn't kiss Kara back?_

"It was...perfect at first. She kissed me back and was so warm and alive, and I was happy." She paused as if savoring the memory.

"But?" He prompted.

"I don't know, I guess she seemed to realize what was happening and she pushed me off of the bed."

"Oh, Kara." There's no way Alex rejected Kara like that. Winn wasn't blind; he had seen the way Alex had glared daggers at him for months while he was struggling with his own feelings for Kara.

"I just laid there on the floor for a while and cried until Alex sat up and asked me what I was doing on the ground. As if I had never kissed her. As if she hadn't been the one to shove me off the bed." Alex had a concussion, Winn remembered that much. It's probably pretty hard to differentiate between a dream and reality when you're concussed.

"Kara maybe-"

"She's already rejected me once, Winn. I can't handle her rejecting me again." Kara cut him off.

Winn drew his knees up to his chest to readjust by the door. "Did she ever say anything else about it?"

"No. I realized that even if Alex didn't want me like I wanted her, I needed her in my life. So I just played along and pretended that it never happened." Winn beat his head against his knees in frustration.

"You realize Alex had a major concussion right? She might not even have been aware what she was doing, or remember it at all." Kara didn't answer, so he knew she was at least considering it.

"I think you two need to have a long talk. Get out of the town, somewhere quiet and calm, and just be honest with each other." He would book the damn trip himself if it meant making Kara happy again.

"I'm tired, Winn." They all were. It had been a really long two days.

"Okay, do you want me or Lucy to stay?" It took Kara a while to answer. Typically Kara brought people closer when she was upset.

"No, thank you. For everything. I just need to be alone right now." But that was fair too, everyone needs a little time.

"Okay Kara. We're here if you need us. I only live three blocks away, just text me if you need something."

"Goodnight Winn." Her voice moved away from the door. Thunder rumbled as the rain continued to pour.

"Goodnight Kara. It will be better in the morning."

Winn stood up and brushed off his pants to return to the living room where Lucy was fast asleep on the couch. Winn gently woke his friend and ushered her out the door. _Some things you just need to figure out on your own._

* * *

End Chapter Four

* * *

Author's Note: Hi guys, this semester has been a little bit more busy than I expected so finding time to write has been a challenge, hopefully the longer chapter will make up for the delay! This chapter was both fun and challenging. Just like with the DEO, I wanted to give Catco a little bit more depth. I wanted to establish that Cat actually does have friends as a support structure (just as Kara and Alex do). And have those friends be able to be the voice of reason whenever Cat starts getting ridiculous. We'll see more of Hayashi later. I have a hard time putting Kara through too much Angst, and writing lots of introspection can get boring if you don't pace it right. I hope this chapter was enjoyable for everybody. Next time, Kara confronts Cat as Supergirl, Alex has a phone conversation with her mother, and Hank really needs some oreos. As always, huge thanks to my amazing beta Beaglesinbowties for all their hard work. Constructive comments are greatly appreciated, and motivate me to keep writing. If you're interesting in bonus content like concept art and character bio's, you can look at my PGT tag on my tumblr .com. Thanks for reading! -AJ

Glossary: okay, listen Kryptonese is hard. Kryptonians don't really have any swear words on record, so I improvised using the online Kryptonese dictionary. You can find more here, , I prefer to use the Doyle style alphabet.

\- Udolshahkh - Literally "bad stone", would translate to English as "Brimstone", but basically just means "damnit"

\- Zhor chao shesur - literally word for word "heart and soul", doesn't translate into English but it describes the bond between soulmates.


	5. Danvers

Chapter Five: Danvers

* * *

Rain beat steadily on Kara's bedroom window as she eased herself through her nightly routine alone. Standing awkwardly in front of the full-length bathroom mirror, she carefully peeled the watertight bandage off of her side to examine the wound.

The long cuts bisected an old scar from Krypton near where her abdominal cavity met her ribs. Kara's hands shook slightly as she spread the antiseptic to clean the wound, the sharp smell caused her nose to wrinkle and sent a ripple of pain across her face. _I can't believe I face planted in the office and broke my nose. That's so embarrassing_.

The wound fizzled quietly as she swapped the antiseptic for dry gauze to dab up the still slightly weeping wound. It had healed over quite a bit from this morning, but the skin hadn't quite stitched together completely. Satisfied the wound was dry, Kara spread antibacterial cream on the injury site before reaching for more gauze and a fresh watertight bandage. Kara struggled for a moment to place the bandage by herself.

Kara bit her lip and felt the ache for Alex's presence deep in her chest. Alex was normally the one who took care of dressing her wounds. She blindly reached behind her, knocking over a few of the bottles neatly lined up on the countertop where the sinks were. Kara snagged a small glass bottle from its place on 'Alex's side' of the bathroom. With one hand Kara pressed on the bandage to seal it, and with the other she uncapped the glass bottle. Immediately the crisp familiar scent of Alex's perfume filled the bathroom. Kara felt herself relax marginally.

Staring at herself in the mirror, Kara gently spritzed her own collarbone with Alex's perfume. She inhaled deeply then placed the bottle back where she grabbed it from, straightening the other things she had knocked over earlier along the way. Kara padded back into the bedroom and pulled an oversized Space Camp T-Shirt Alex got when she spent four weeks at NASA the year before Kara dropped into her life.

Kara gingerly curled up on her uninjured side and pulled Alex's pillow close to her chest. She didn't like sleeping alone; it reminded her of the hellish time after Alex's Ph.D. defense when Alex abruptly began distancing herself from Kara.

Of course now she knew that Alex had pulled away to protect her from the DEO, but still it had hurt. Alex made up for that time apart in little ways: daily texts, impromptu take out nights turned sleepovers, and taking Kara out on various day trips like the Zoo.

Kara was pretty sure their time apart had hurt Alex too; neither of them had a lot of friends. It was hard to, considering the top-secret job Alex had and the fact that Kara was an alien. Kara tried not to be needy, but Alex was the most important person in her life. She treasured the time they spent together, hoarding the memories to herself to remember after particularly bad nightmares.

Selfishly, Kara kind of hated that Alex was a field agent at the DEO. Alex was their Operations Commander and was constantly in the field, and was always on the first response team. It was a dangerous and difficult job that changed Alex in ways that Kara couldn't fix with a hug. And now that Kara knew about Alex's job, she made a point to be a supportive as possible.

That didn't stop her from worrying though. Humans were fragile. Alex had taken a number of injuries in her tenure as a field agent, and it never got easier for Kara to see Alex in pain. It made her want to scoop Alex up and fly her far far away so they could be safe and happy together; Kara wanted that sanctuary.

After the White Martian incident Kara hadn't been inclined to let Alex out of her sight, so Alex had spent the last month or so staying almost exclusively at Kara's apartment. Kara fingers curled into the pillow, staring at the book Alex had left on her nightstand two days ago. Kara fumbled for her new phone and hesitated over her text messages. She opened a text to Alex and tapped her screen nervously. _I don't even know what to say._

I miss you

I wish you were here

I can't sleep

I love you…

Kara frowned and deleted the message. She locked her screen. The selfie of Alex and Kara wearing swimsuits smiling widely had been her background for so long, but now it was mocking her. Kara turned the screen off and set it aside. Thunder rattled her windows and the rain picked up. Dread filled her stomach and crept up her throat. Kara swallowed hard and pushed back her fear. She had no clue what they were going to do about this whole mess.

Kara just hoped that Alex wouldn't pull away, wouldn't go where Kara couldn't follow. And something Kara had buried long ago flared in her chest. Kara turned and stared at the painting hanging tastefully across from the bed. Kara's eyes traced the paint to their unadorned wrists, and before she could stop herself Kara imagined painting the sturdy bonding bracelets of her homeworld on the hanging print.

Kara flushed at the thought of bonding with Alex; she had guiltily thought of it in her daydreams over the years. It was a fantasy out of reach. Kara's eyes slide shut imagining all the things she couldn't have. _For now._

* * *

Alex stared at her phone accusingly. The picture from Winn of Kara in her new suit covered the screen, Alex was having a hard time looking away. Kara looked so...mature in her new suit; beautiful and dangerous. Alex wanted to carefully examine every stitch of the new uniform for quality control purposes. She couldn't have Kara flying around in a substandard tight body suit. The boots brought color to Alex's cheeks as she thought of how they clung to Kara's muscular calfs. Alex would enjoy undoing those straps to inspect the integrity of the microweave.

Alex flicked through her notifications on her data pad until she reached R&D's notice of completion on the work order for her uniform. After this whole Agent X debacle, Alex's uniform had been upgraded slightly; the House of El coat of arms that had previously been stitched in black thread for tactical purposes had been redone with red stitching on dark gray field.

It looked like it belonged on Alex's arm, and she was proud to wear it now that people knew she was associated with Supergirl. J'onn's family symbol of a red X had been reforged into a heavier armor plating on her vest, and the breathable synthetic mesh that made up Alex's under armor had been reinforced to a dark chainmail like quality. Instead of tactical gloves, Alex had replaced them with heavy duty gauntlets made out of the same material as her chest piece.

The gauntlets would act as support and protection for her arms and hands as well as being battle efficient. Each gauntlet had retractable spikes on the side, steel alloy knuckles, and intense electrical buildup mechanism that could give the world's most intense tazer with the slightest brush of Alex's fingertips. Her boots were replated, re-spiked, and given small grooves on the hard rubber of the soles.

Alex had received authorization to take a blade from the armory on missions, so it would be strapped and sheathed on Alex's back until she ran out of ammo. The helmet was a work of art, pure black matte plating with red metallic piping running along the curvature. It was much more comfortable than the standard issue and way more versatile. Any time Alex had to make a public appearance, Henshaw wanted her helmeted.

Alex would rather her face not be splattered on the news again, so she would much rather accept her new helmeted fate than be forced into a desk job.

R&D notified her that her travel uniform would be waiting for her at Stand Down, and that her spares would be stored in the armory and in her office. Alex smiled at the thought of being released from the Sunroom.

Her phone began to play the Jaws theme.

Alex glanced down and saw it was her mother calling. She gathered up all her courage and faced the inevitable lecture. Alex tapped the accept button and placed the phone on speaker, her ears were still healing.

"Alexandra Danvers you answer your mother when she's calling you, if I have to leave a voicemail one more time…"

"Mom, it's me," Alex interrupted. There was a pause on the other side of the line.

"Oh. Alex. Good, you finally picked up." It sounded like Eliza wasn't sure where to begin either.

"Yeah, sorry I couldn't call you sooner. I was resting from surgery here at work." There was another pause from Eliza. From the angry inhale of air, Alex could tell she was rapidly losing her cool.

"Surgery? Director Henshaw assured me that you were fine!"

 _Yep, she's mad._ Alex attempted to reassure her by using her best placating voice. "I am fine. I only busted my eardrums, broke my arm, my wrist, and a bunch of hand bones. Some minor cuts here and there, but I'll live. The medicine here helps me recover at an accelerated rate."

"Only!"

 _Okay so maybe taking the sarcastic route hadn't been the best idea._

"What the hell were you thinking? You could have died! Worse than that, you got careless and now your face is plastered all over the Internet and TV. Thank God you got that haircut a few months ago or I would be getting all kinds of questions at work." Alex looked up at the sound of Dr. Henderson entering the room. She tried to smile at the other woman, but it came out more like a grimace.

"I was thinking that Kara was in trouble. I can't let paparazzi stop me from doing my job, Mom. Protecting Kara is my number one priority. You always made that very clear to me, and Mom I've followed it to the letter." Alex replied as patiently as she could.

"I said protect your sister! Not…not this!" _Just say it, Mom._ Alex thought bitterly.

"This? I don't understand what you're saying." If her mom wanted to call her out on this she was going to have to be specific. Alex was tired of hiding.

"You know exactly what I mean Alexandra. You were supposed to ensure that Kara has a safe and _normal_ life. First Kara comes out to save YOUR life, and now you two are under media scrutiny because you can't keep your hands to yourself." Alex pinched the bridge of her nose and accepted the supportive squeeze on her shoulder from Maura.

"Mom, I'm doing the best I can. Kara wanted to become Supergirl. I've done everything in my power to make sure she isn't alone, to help her when she needs it - maybe it's none of your business on how I choose to touch Kara…" Alex had made the mistake of confiding in her mother in the past, but she was an adult now. Her relationships were her business and no one else's.

"Listen to yourself! We talked about this before Alexandra. What did I say? When you came to me after your dissertation defense and said you were in love with Kara." _How could I forget? I damn nearly broke my own heart listening to you._

"You said… you said that if I loved Kara I would let it go, let her go, find someone safer, find someone that isn't supposed to be her sister, her protector. I did Mom, I let her go and I kept her at a distance for years because I believed you were right, that what I felt was wrong and a betrayal of trust. But she found her way back to me. She worked herself back into my life on purpose, and Mom I'm never going back to the time we spent apart."

"Kara doesn't understand, things were different on Krypton." Alex tried to reign in her anger, classic Eliza refusing to give Kara any agency, everything is Alex's fault now.

"Kara is an adult! You have to quit treating her like a child and making decisions for her. Kara loves me. I've never ever doubted that. She might not be in love with me the way I am with her, but I refuse to lie to her anymore. If half the world can see that love, what use is there denying it?"

"This could destroy you, destroy her. What will people say? I don't want you to get hurt, Alex." Alex sighed.

"It could destroy us, or set us free. But isn't that for us to decide? To take a bite from the fruit of the tree of knowledge and fall, isn't that our choice? I don't care what other people say, Kara is not my sister...we are so much more than that, **Zhor chao Shesur**. Unbreakable." Alex was the only human on Earth fluent in Kryptonese enough to really understand the implications of what she was saying.

"Unbreakable. Fall then. See what happens." Maura's frown twisted into anger at Eliza's lack of support.

"Mom, please...for once can you just-"

Eliza just half-heartedly interrupted her plea. "I'll see you at Easter. I'm glad you're going to be okay. I love you Alex."

"I love you too, Mom." She did. Alex loved her mother, but sometimes she really didn't like her.

"Goodbye, Alex."

"Bye, Mom."

Maura wrapped her arms around Alex as silent tears dripped down her face and onto Maura's lab coat. At least she had Maura.

"She didn't mean that, Alex." Alex let out a wet sounding laugh. Trust Maura to try and help her with her mommy issues.

"It's fine. I've never been good enough for her. I'm used to being a disappointment." Maura leaned back, grasping Alex by the shoulders she looked her dead in the eye to convey her seriousness.

"You are not a disappointment! I've never been prouder of you."

"Even when I'm reckless and put myself in danger?"

Maura laughed. "Even then, kiddo. Hank and I, we're so so proud of you. You're smart and strong and kind. You lead with compassion and follow with humility. What you and Kara feel for each other…. it isn't wrong. You're not even the same species. Love isn't wrong, Alex. Your mom will come to accept that."

"Maura."

Maura held her tighter as she cried. "I got you Alex. Let go. I'm going to send you to Stand Down later when you wake up."

Alex forced herself to calm down, Maura's embrace soothing her to sleep. "Night, Maura."

"Goodnight, Kiddo."

* * *

It was still pouring rain when Cat woke up the morning after Kara's little fainting spell. Thunder rattled the windows of Cat's Harbor Heights mansion. They lost power sometime late last night and the mansion was dark despite the morning hour.

Cat peeked in at Carter and found him reading under his blanket with a flashlight. Cat left him to his devices and debated if she wanted to go into Catco, but Hayashi had already texted her that the building didn't have power either.

Cat was bored. Surprisingly. She couldn't even monitor the SuperX story on the television, her phone and laptop would run out of battery eventually so she didn't want to waste the energy trolling through social media watching the trend rise and fall.

She paced in her home office and considered her options. The rain wouldn't be letting up anytime soon, so she might as well indulge in a little fluff reading herself - or she could sort through the stack of photos she had of her favorite 007. Cat chose the photos and began to leaf through them, occasionally moving a photo forward or backward in the stack so they were in order by date.

Cat was in the middle of trying to figure out where exactly she had seen this woman before when Cat heard a thud from her office balcony. It didn't sound like a thunder, it sounded like someone landing roughly on the stone flooring with heavy boots.

Alarmed, Cat turned to face the glass sliding doors separating her office from the balcony. A dark figure loomed next to the glass. A scream died in Cat's throat when lightning flashed, illuminating the figure to reveal the reds and blues of a soaking wet Supergirl.

Cat released the breath she had sucked in in anticipation of a scream. She hadn't been expecting her Girl of Steel, but Cat was very relieved to see her after that nasty fight at Lord Labs. Cat approached the door slowly and thunder crashed, shaking the whole house.

Supergirl's blazing blue eyes were glowing in the dark of the storm. It was ethereal. Cat unlocked the latch of the sliding door. Supergirl reached out and pulled the door open. The loud sounds of rain splattering on the balcony and rooftop filled the room as the superhero stepped on to Cat's expensive carpet.

"You could have called. Don't you dare take another step on my carpet with wet boots. Let me get you a towel." The other woman didn't answer, simply floating an inch or two in the air so that her feet wouldn't touch the carpet. Cat swallowed; it wasn't like the girl to be this quiet. Cat quickly grabbed a few thick towels from the hall closet and returned to her office. Supergirl hadn't moved an inch. Cat tossed her the dry towels.

"Here. Try not to get water everywhere. Take off your boots. I don't know what you are like at your lair, but we don't bring shoes into the house here." Supergirl obligingly pulled at the straps on her thighs of her new boots, then toed the shoes off into a neat pile near the balcony door. Cat stared at the new boots inquisitively, bending down and picking up the curious footwear. She turned the boot, noting the strange grooves and heavy material.

Cat dropped the boot at the sound of Supergirl clearing her throat, she looked much drier already. The material of the suit was apparently water wicking because the full body suit was completely dry. Cat stared at the new costume in the low lighting.

"New suit?"

Supergirl closed her glowing eyes and let out a deep sigh. She swayed in front of Cat, breathing deeply. Cat couldn't tell if the drops near the girl's eyes were tears or rain. Cat had been worried about her superhero since she had printed her Agent X article. Clearly, the Kryptonian wasn't completely recovered, the pallid shade of her skin and deep bruising under her eyes betraying her fatigue.

"Would you like to sit down? You're looking a little…unsteady." Cat placed a hesitant hand on Supergirl's upper arm and gently led her to sit on the couch that Cat had been lounging on earlier.

Supergirl sat heavily on the couch and hunched over her head in her hands with her elbows on her knees. She was the picture of pain. Cat slowly sat down next to her charge, careful not to intrude on the girl's personal space.

"Can I get you something, Supergirl?" Between Supergirl and Kara, her overprotective instincts were really getting a work out the past few days. Supergirl wasn't her friend, but Cat liked the woman; she was kind, brave, and smiled just like Kara. Supergirl sighed heavily.

"We need to talk. Can I get a glass of water?" Cat obliged rising gracefully and pulling a still cool water bottle from her office mini-fridge. Cat pressed the water bottle to the side of Supergirl's thigh before getting comfortable at her spot on the couch. Cat pulled a throw blanket off the back of the couch and offered it to Supergirl. Supergirl wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and slowly sipped the water, trying to gather her thoughts.

"You wanted to talk?" Supergirl nodded. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no sounds came out. Cat took pity on her.

"Did you want to talk about what happened at Lord Labs? Or about my article? Or maybe about the media scrutiny you're currently under?" Supergirl sat up straighter at the mention of the article. Her glowing eyes were definitely wet with unshed tears. Cat felt something tug inside her chest at the girl's anguished face.

"Why did you do it Ms. Grant? Why did you write that article? I thought… I didn't think that you would do that to me." Cat never wanted to hear that voice from Supergirl, that sound of betrayal. Not Supergirl. Never her. Cat knew she had to explain herself, Supergirl was clearly incredibly emotionally vulnerable right now. Cat could be cruel, but she had no intention of ruining her relationship with the hero. She needed to fix this.

"Oh, Supergirl. Those photos crossed my desk not even two hours after you had been helicoptered away. They were already queued on the Gawker website, I had to pay a steep copyright transfer fee to control the release of those photos. I did it to protect you." Those teary eyes hardened as she stared right through Cat.

"Protect me…Funny, plastering a private moment across the Tribune front page doesn't sound like protection. It sounds like a violation of privacy," Supergirl muttered bitterly. Cat could see how it might look from the outside, but really she had the best of intentions.

"Listen to yourself. I understand you're upset, but you have to understand that I didn't write that article to hurt you." Cat had to make Supergirl understand. She scooted closer to try and comfort Supergirl. The other woman wasn't having any of it and flinched away from the hand Cat tried to rest on her shoulder. The touch seemed to ignite the simmering anger behind the girl's grief.

Supergirl leapt to her feet and began to pace.

"You have no idea what you've done! Typical Cat Grant! Has to be the first to get the scoop, who cares who gets caught in the crossfire. You have no idea what publishing those photos has done."

Cat was rarely speechless. This girl had a bad habit of surprising Cat and robbing her of her words. Cat struggled to remain calm at the hero's anger.

"I don't," Cat admitted. "I don't know what I've done. You won't confide in me. You don't trust me enough to tell me the truth. So you're right. I don't understand what about this makes you so upset. Is it the fact someone caught you vulnerable, found out that you have a lover, that your lover is now just as famous as you? I don't know. And that's on you as much as it's on me." Cat couldn't coddle the girl forever. They both played into this mess.

"You wonder why I don't confide in you, when obviously I should just spill all my secrets to the Queen of All Media and just trust in her benevolence. And the first chance you got to reveal something private about me, you took it! Why should I trust you? If the roles were reversed what would you do in my boots?" Cat couldn't let Supergirl stew in her anger any longer and rose to stop the hero's pacing.

"I named you! I gave you a narrative, I made you a hero instead of a glorified vigilante like the spandex covered Brady Bunch in Gotham City. I'm the biggest supporter you have in this city if not the country," Cat said, invading Kara's personal space.

Kara was in her new suit and refused to be intimidated by her boss today.

"Only because it suits your best interests. You made me your poster girl to save the Tribune from going under, not because you were impressed with my acts of heroism. Let's not forget how much you profit off of me." Kara knew Cat better than anyone. Kara remembered every word Cat had ever written or said about Supergirl, there was no way she could twist her words right now.

"Just because you happened to be the answer to Tribune's problem, doesn't mean I don't care about you. You saved my son's life, that's not something I can just forget. Do you think I spend hours on my balcony at work to talk to you because I have nothing better to do? No, I sit on my balcony and offer you the best advice I have to help you. God only knows what kind of pressures you're under. I know what it's like to be alone, to have no support, to have no one to talk to. I never wanted that for you. I want to help you, that's all I've ever wanted. You keep me at a distance because you are afraid I will expose every little secret you have, but when in reality the ugly truth is that the world doesn't care about the woman behind the cape, Kara. But, I do."

"Ms. Grant I'm not…" _Backtrack, Kara_.

"Save it. I don't know how you managed to get a double in my office, but I know it's you, Kara. You're still wearing the bandage Lucy used to splint your nose yesterday morning." Kara's hand whipped upwards to connect with the tape keeping her nose in place.

" **Udolshahkh** ," Kara cursed in Kryptonese.

"Please just be honest with me, Kara. You scared me back at the office, I thought you were going to die or something. If you turned Adam down because you're gay, you could have told me that. I don't care about that. You never told me you were seeing someone."

"Ms. Grant. Stop. You've got it all wrong." Kara would deny it til she was blue in the face if she had to.

"Just tell me the truth!" Cat shouted this time. She was so sick and tired of the same piss poor lies. Kara's face was rapidly turning red, her chest heaving upwards in anger.

"You want the truth?" Kara asked.

"Yes." Cat responded immediately. Kara considered her words.

"The truth is Ms. Grant," Kara paused a scowl marring her face. "The truth is your lack of boundaries is why I don't trust you. You clearly don't respect me enough to let me come to you on my own terms, so you forced me to come out. In every way that matters to me. You forced me to show you my face on that balcony, outing my identity. You ran article about me and my government handler, outing me again. Now you want me to tell you who she is? You want me to confide in you? Screw you, Cat Grant."

"Excuse me? After everything I've done for you." Cat drew herself to full height.

"How about after everything I've done for YOU?" Kara interrupted her before Cat could begin a tirade.

"Mom? Supergirl?" both women turned in unison to face Carter who was standing in the doorway holding a flashlight, a blanket thrown over his shoulders like a cape.

"I heard yelling, are you okay? You disappeared after that big explosion! Did Agent X fix you up?" Carter stepped forward, focusing on the hero.

"You got a new suit! It looks so cool! Where are you shoes?" Cat stepped closer towards Carter, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

"Just because Supergirl is a superhero doesn't mean she can bring dirty boots onto my expensive carpet."

Kara nodded half heartedly, the fight leaving her.

"That's true. I'm glad to see you buddy. Your mom and I were just having a discussion."

"Sounds like the kind of discussions Mom has with Grandma." Carter obviously got his dry sense of humor from his mother.

"Sometimes it's hard not to get mad when you're upset," Kara said gently. Kara's eyes wandered to Cat's.

"What are you upset about?" Carter asked sitting on the couch. Kara took a deep breath.

"My handler, Agent X as your mom calls her, she was injured saving my life and I feel very guilty about it." Kara admitted. Both Grants eyes widened at Supergirl's honesty.

"But isn't it her job to help you?" Carter continued.

"Sorta. It's complicated. I hate seeing her get hurt, especially because of me. And I'm upset because now lots of people have seen her face I'm worried that they'll recognize her in the grocery store or whatever and then people will find out her name." Explaining her fear wasn't easy. Alex was strong, she could take care of herself - but that didn't mean Kara didn't worry.

"Secret Identities are important." Carter nodded seriously, looking much older than his thirteen years.

"Very important. They don't just protect us, they also protect our loved ones from our enemies. People who wouldn't hesitate to use our family and friends against us." Cat's face fell as Kara continued to confide in her son.

"I'm sorry, Supergirl." Kara pulled Carter into a hug. His curly hair tickled her chin as she pressed him close, enjoying the affection.

"You don't need to apologize, Buddy. It's not like it's your fault."

"But some of it is Mom's fault." Kara smiled. Carter was the best. Still, Kara wasn't mean enough to set children against their parents and decided now would be a good time to leave.

"Even people with of the best of intentions still can accidentally hurt the people they care about. I need to go, Carter." Kara released her young friend and stood, her cape billowing with her movement. She shoved her boots back on in record time and had her hand on the door handle to the balcony when Cat called out behind her.

"Wait, Supergirl." Kara turned her head, but kept her hand on the door.

"Ms. Grant. I shouldn't have come here this morning. I'll talk to you again at a better time." Cat moved closer her face looked almost like she was sorry.

"Wait. I just wanted to say, for what it's worth, I'm sorry I forced the issue. I have a tendency to get overzealous." Kara waited a moment, surprised at the apology.

"For what it's worth Ms. Grant, I've never wanted to hide from you."

With that Kara jumped off of the balcony into the night, leaving a stunned CEO in her wake.

* * *

After her confrontation with Cat, Kara flew home in the rain as quickly as she could within the city limits. Kara slumped into her apartment, feeling completely raw and exhausted. She wasn't hungry but she needed some comfort food. Kara opened her freezer to finish off the last of her ice cream stores.

Armed with the carton and a spoon, Kara retreated into the studio that was lofted above her bedroom. Kara had maybe two spoons of ice cream before she started to cry. She was so tired of crying. The profile painting of Alex in the corner she had been working on a few days ago was mocking her.

Kara had spent hours painstakingly capturing the way the sunlight filtered through Alex's hair and made her eyes flare a thousand shades between green and brown. Kara had carefully drawn Alex's strong jawline to perfection and captured the gentle slope of her neck.

This profile painting wasn't even unique. Kara painted it at least once a year, trying to encapsulate Alex's beauty. Kara had sketch books from as far back as her first week on Earth filled with Alex: her face, her hands, her eyes - every pose Kara could imagine in every type of clothing Kara could get away with, in places they had both visited and not.

Alex was her favorite subject. Kara's high school art teacher had jokingly referred to Alex as Kara's muse, not realizing how true the statement actually was.

Kara had gone through a phase in her last year of high school where all she wanted was to design Kryptonian clothing. She'd gone through several sketchbooks of just Kryptonian clothing and armor designs. Eventually, Kara had even given in and sewed several of her favorite pieces for herself and Alex into life. Seeing Alex wear the clothing Kara had designed, looking like a Kryptonian noble, had made Kara's heart race and stomach turn.

Alex, of course, was more interested in the armor designs, and had a distinctive Kryptonian light armor suit hanging in her closet for emergencies, the House of El coat of arms proudly stitched over the heart. Kara could create anything if her mind imagined Alex's presence.

Kara's senior showcase in college had been the most popular exhibits on the floor that year. She had held back on figure drawing and had instead focused on landscapes of worlds she had visited and strange objects Kara encountered on Earth.

Kara's most popular piece had actually received several bids, despite none of the art being on sale. The highest bidder had offered enough to pay off at least a year of Kara's college debt, but Kara couldn't bear to part with the piece. The piece was a three canvas painting of Alex stylized as a warrior, a scholar, and a noble; artistically entwined with a golden swirl that drew the eye across the canvases.

Alex's face was partially obscured in each painting: the warrior astride reared mount with the ornate helmet hiding the eyes, the scholar posed in thought with a tome held tight to the chest hiding the mouth and nose, the noble head held high in court bearing a cup raised in a toast and hiding the side of the noble's face. It was her masterpiece, but incomplete.

Kara had another canvas that she had never submitted, and yet another she never dared to even _think_ about, let alone paint. The hidden canvas was called the Savior: Alex wreathed in golden light, protecting the kneeling blonde figure in the foreground from the exploding planet in the background. The savior's eyes were focused only on the survivor, her hands outstretched welcome. Kara had almost submitted the painting with the final piece, but held it back because of the emotional attachment she had to it. Her grief for Krypton was hers alone to bear, not for others to see.

The last painting was one that Kara had only considered in her deepest dreams and would never see the light of day. The Lover, would have been the bookend of the piece. Kara had imagined Alex wrapped in nothing but the swirl of golden light, her eyes closed and face gentle. Kara had shoved the idea far into the back of her mind, embarrassed to even dream it.

Now her masterpiece was mocking her fear. The four canvases were mounted on the far wall of her studio, away from all of the paint. Kara had subconsciously mounted the canvases in intervals to fit five paintings not four. The fifth would never hang on her wall. No one but Kara entered her studio, but the blank space next to the piece was noticeable.

Kara glumly scooped the last bit of ice cream into her mouth. Her tears had dried on her cheeks. Her studio was supposed to be her Fortress of Solitude, but now the stacked sketchbooks and canvases seemed suffocating.

Kara leafed through her most recent sketchbook. It was filled with everyday sketches of her friends and coworkers. Winn concentrating at his computer. James bent over layouts. Lucy writing at her desk. Cat standing on her balcony. Carter grinning mid sprint. This art was safe; this sketchbook was filled with a love that couldn't hurt her the way Alex could.

Admitting the depth of her feelings about Alex to Lucy, and then her argument with Cat, terrified Kara. She didn't want to lose what she had with Alex. Kara could live with what she had now as long as it meant Alex would still be present in her life - but Kara yearned for more. She wanted to trade kisses over sticky buns at Noonan's, she wanted to write stupid love poems and pack them away in Alex's lunch, she wanted to put a bracelet on Alex's wrist.

Kara wasn't sure if it was some ingrained Kryptonian instinct, but she had been craving to form a marriage bond with Alex since she became Supergirl and found out what Alex's real job was. Kryptonian nobles had typically spent a year or two negotiating a marriage contract to strengthen their houses. Then around their 25th year, they bonded. Bonded couples could apply for the birthing lottery after 5 years of marriage if they so desired.

Due to the political circumstances surrounding her birth, Kara had a long queue of potential suitors on Krypton. She had met with many of them at state functions or in her military academy all eager to gain her favor.

Beyond a crush or two on Krypton, Kara hadn't seriously considered bonding until a few months ago when Alex had rappelled down from a helicopter to save Kara from Vartox. Alex had torn off her helmet and had been haloed in sunlight; all Kara could think about is how badly she wanted Alex. A perfect mixture of warrior and scientist, she liked to think that her parents would have approved in her choice of spouse.

Kara idly sketched her parents in ceremonial wear standing proudly next to her and Alex, Argo City's skyline in the background. Kara sighed as her pencil loosened in her hand and her eyes fluttered closed.

One minute Kara was drifting off anxiously thinking of putting a bonding bracelet on Alex's wrist, the next she was in motion walking with a purpose down the familiar halls of the House of Ze fortress. She always preferred the Ze Fortress to the House of El's ancestral Citadel outside Kandor.

Kara smiled at a few passing aides cloaked in dress uniforms. They greeted her cheerfully by rank as she continued forward.

Kara could feel the comforting weight of her Army uniform as she marched under the looming metal arches of the eastern wing towards the balcony she had been searching for this whole time. Two of the fortress staff members richly dressed in deep blues and golds held the balcony doors open for her to step through. Kara stepped outside into the light of Rao and inhaled the nitrous scent of the Kryptonian atmosphere.

Astra had her back towards Kara, looking out onto the busy fortress courtyard below. Scores of soldiers in light armor trained together through their physical conditioning as gardeners carefully sheared what little plant life that could be easily maintained on Krypton.

Oblivious to the rhythmic counting of exercise sets below, Astra stood tall; wreathed in crimson light, the red hues bounced off her dark armor and seemed to glow under Rao's embrace. A golden cape was draped over Astra's back and shoulders in a traditional manner for a warrior of her station, though the color betrayed her lineage. Astra's Solenium sword sat secured and retracted on her hip, ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice.

Kara didn't hesitate and continued forward until she was a step behind and two steps to the right of Astra, Kara's traditional place as Astra's heir and second. Astra didn't turn to acknowledge her yet, her face still directed up toward the light of Rao.

"Good day, Aunt Astra," Kara greeted politely. Astra's lips quirked into a smile and finally her eyes turned to Kara. Astra looked so much like her mother it hurt.

"Good day, Little One," Astra teased. Kara groaned at the sound of her childhood nickname.

"I'm 24 Aunt Astra, I'm not so little anymore you know." Astra lifted her arm to bring Kara into a side hug.

"You'll always be my little one. Even when I'm negotiating your marriage contract this year." Kara felt unease twist in her stomach. _That was it,_ that was why she was here. Next year she would be turning 25 and Astra as her closest, oldest female relative would finalize Kara's marriage contract.

"Aunt Astra there's something I need to tell you." Astra leaned back slightly to stare down at Kara inquisitively.

"Oh? What is it Kara? Are you going to tell me you and Syra Lan-Gor are eloping to Bokos island again?" Kara flushed at the reference to her beautiful squadmate.

"I am never getting drunk with you again." Astra laughed, her voice was bright.

"What is it dear Kara?" Kara could hardly remember what she wanted to tell Astra. She missed this easy connection with her Aunt; a deep connection of blood and tempered by the heat of battle. Astra would always be her favorite relative.

Sometimes, in the dark of night she wished she had been born to Astra rather than her mother. Being the daughter to the Supreme was suffocating, the Army at least provided her with a little freedom. Alura's expectations weighed on her heavily, Kara had no siblings and so the pressure of their family's future was in her hands.

 _What was it she had wanted to confide?_ Kara hummed in thought trying to organize her what she wanted to say. Marriage. Bonding. _Alex._

"Who?" Kara didn't realize she had spoken out loud. Astra was staring at her, her arms dropped to her sides turn to face Kara completely.

"Alex…. My Zhor chao Shesur. I need your advice." Astra's mouth opened, then shut in confusion.

"Since when do you have a Zhor chao Shesur? You have not spoken of this person before. Do I know them? Are they in your regiment?" Astra questioned.

"No no it's not like that. She's a scientist, a bio-engineer. Father would have liked her. She's brilliant." Astra hummed.

"A scientist, I guess the El genes are in there somewhere," Astra joked. "Since I have not heard of this Al of the House of Ex, I assume she is lowborn and that is why you are coming to me?" Kara smiled at the Kryptonization of Alex's name.

"Something like that. I know you and mother have been looking through possible betrothal candidates for me, but I do not want to marry for an alliance. I want to marry for love." Astra ran her fingers through her hair in consideration.

"And do you love this woman?" Kara smiled, a happy flush spreading across her cheeks as she replied.

"Yes. With everything that I am." Astra sighed and pulled Kara close tucking her niece's head under her chin.

"If you love her, then whatever drama comes from your relationship going public will be worth it." Kara clutched at Astra's golden cape, dropping her face into the crook of Astra's neck.

"Was it worth losing Grandmother's favor for you, Aunt Astra?" Kara murmured. "Uncle Non is a nobody, an orphan. Was it worth it? You lost everything; your title, your inheritance, most of your friends." The two swayed gently under the heat of the red sun. The embrace felt comforting despite both of them dressed neck to heels in dark plated armor.

"Always," Astra began, "If I was given a chance I would do it again. It will not always be easy. There will be hardship, sacrifice, and even pain; but love...love is always worth it, Little One."

Kara blinked away the tears that threatened to fall on her Aunt's caped shoulders. Before Kara could gather the courage to speak again, an ancient bell mounted high in one of the towers sounded to signal the end of the workday. Astra stepped back and Kara looked up at Rao still shining in the sky one last time. Kara closed her eyes and smiled with renewed determination. She opened them again to the stacks of paintings piled next to her desk where she had fallen asleep in her studio on Earth. _Time to find Alex._

* * *

Alex slept deeply under the influence of the advanced regenerative medication that Maura had her on.

Vasquez entered the Sunroom. _No, 'the Danvers Suite'_ she corrected herself mentally. Soundlessly she began to set up her tablet, paperwork, and a plain white cardboard box on the spare desk. Vasquez wandered over to the hospital bed and peered down at her best friend. Alex was still incredibly pale, but the Ambrosia mix was doing its job since the skin around her stitched lacerations was beginning to knit together. Alex would probably get to go home today if she behaved.

Susan didn't enjoy seeing Alex in the medical wing, it reminded her too much of the Alacorian op gone wrong. She traced the scarring near Alex's neck with her eyes and tried not to think about it. Susan swallowed and blinked back tears before leaning over slightly to adjust where the liner for her prosthetic met her mid thigh through the fabric of her pants. They made it out, others from their squad weren't so lucky.

Alex's eyes fluttered open as if sensing the presence beside her bed. Their eyes met and neither moved, locked in a staring contest. For a moment the only sounds and thoughts Susan was aware of were the subtle beeping of the various medical telemetry machines in the room. Alex blinked. Susan smirked in triumph.

"That's Vasquez 22, Danvers 17. How are you feeling?" Sure their little challenges were a bit juvenile, but Vasquez never let an opportunity to mess with Alex slip by.

"Hmpf. I don't think a staring contest really counts in our competition," Alex muttered, clearly put out at her trailing score.

"It so does. You can't throw out competitions just because you don't win. And quit avoiding the question."

"I'm better, ready to get out of here and sleep in my own bed."

Susan perched on the corner of the hospital bed and tilted her head to the side, observing her friend. "Well at least you don't look like you went through a meat grinder anymore. Chief has you slated for release to Stand Down this afternoon," Susan began.

Alex perked up at the thought of being released. She was going stir crazy recovering alone in the Sunroom, she needed some fresh air.

"Yes!" Okay, so Alex was more than a little excited to get out of the medical wing.

"Chief might have let it slip that your mom called last night. So I brought you something." Vasquez stood and walked to the desk where she had left the white cardboard box, and then brought it over to set in Alex's lap. Alex's eyes grew wide as she recognized the package.

"DONUTS! Susan, you are my favorite." Alex probably would have said more but she basically just shoved an entire raspberry filled donut into her mouth. Susan watched her devour the treat in short order with horrified fascination.

"Oh my god. Ambrosia makes you eat like Kara. Can you even taste that when you eat that fast?" Susan asked.

Alex made to reply as she tore into the second donut. She had a look of manic glee in her eyes as she browsed the remaining flavors of donuts.

"Ew, don't talk with your mouth full you heathen." Vasquez had manners unlike some people. Alex swallowed and downed half a cup of water that was sitting on the bedside table.

"God Ambrosia cravings are the worst. This is the best thing I've eaten in days. How did you sneak this past Maura?"

"She looked the other way for me, you're not the only favorite around here you know. And as much as I wish that this was just a personal visit, I am actually on duty until you're released from Stand Down. I have some paperwork for you to sign."

Alex groaned and bit into her third donut.

Susan took that as acceptance, so she collected her tablet and papers then plopped down on the end of Alex's hospital bed. She handed off the first packet with a pen, which Alex accepted with slightly sticky hands. Susan grimaced and unconsciously wiped the sugar away on her pant legs.

"Please sign and date where I've added little X's. Get it, X?" Susan laughed at her own joked and was grateful Alex didn't have anything to throw at her for the lame pun. Alex glared before she began to leaf through the packet.

"It's the completed after action report from the Lord Labs op. Oversight has been breathing down my neck for this. The report is pretty standard: pre-mission intelligence, agents and assets deployed, agent mission statements, casualty list, post-mission debriefing and analysis, and media highlights." Alex continued to sign as she read through the thick report.

"No charges filed?"

Vasquez's eyebrows knit together in frustration.

"No, Lord managed his classic tactic of pin the blame on the fired employee. Said employee was killed in the lab explosion, so we technically have no one to charge. I included a recommendation to Oversight to initiate a full investigation of Lord and his company, we'll see if they go for it or not."

"God I hate that guy. Snails, who even does that?" Vasquez snickered and passed the next set.

"Oversight must have felt bad for you because they approved your transferal of custody request for one of the recovered Kryptonian artifacts locked in the Vault. What is SOL-X04?"

"It's just a nick nack. A decorative piece common in Kryptonian homes, I was going to give it to Kara for her name day. Has it already been processed?" Alex deflected as best she could, she really didn't want to get into explaining the significance of this piece Kryptonian technology right now.

"I know you're lying. You wouldn't have spent a year tinkering with it if it was just a decorative piece. But I trust you haven't asked for some weapon of mass destruction so I guess I'll let that slide. And yes, it should be waiting for you in your out processing crate. Sign here."

"What's this?" Alex asked taking the packet. She leafed through it signed as she went.

"That is your mandated time off agreement. Chief and Director Henshaw agreed to three weeks off base is just what you need to sort yourself out."

"Three weeks? I have projects I'm working on right now. And Talbot always looks he is having a hernia or something whenever I'm out longer than a week."

"You aren't working on anything that can't wait. Talbot will have to deal, you need this. You've been burning the candle at both ends since Supergirl went public, you need a break and a therapist," Vasquez said evenly.

"V...Come on."

"Look Al, you know I'm your biggest cheerleader on this, but I'm worried about you. Please just try and make your time with Psych worthwhile. You know how much she helped me after the botched Alacorian op." It was sort of a low blow mentioning the Alacorian op, but it had the desired effect.

"I'll take it seriously. I promise."

Susan raised an eyebrow, but seemed satisfied.

"Good. Since we're on this topic anyway, that brings us to our last piece of business. I need to release a statement through our FBI covers. I need to know how you want to angle this." Susan pulled up a new document on her tablet to take notes. Alex scratch at the bandages on her ears trying to think of what to say.

"I haven't talked to Kara about it yet."

"I know. I have to release something within the next six hours or Oversight is going to 'handle the press personally'." Vasquez deepened her voice to mimic the Oversight chairman. Alex snickered, she didn't like the guy any more than Vasquez.

"Can you please just do the standard, the FBI has no statement from the agent in question at this time and the agency will not speculate on the personal relationships of their personnel."

"I mean I could, but the press will just fire back that alien asset to human agent relations are a threat to national security."

"What if you just claimed I died from complications?" Alex asked only half joking.

"And when you show up back from the dead at the next big battle?" Susan countered.

"I have a better helmet now. Nobody would have to know."

"Your helmet does look pretty awesome, but it's not foolproof. I think killing off your Agent X identity would be a bad idea."

"Then what do you suggest?" the exasperation was beginning to seep into Alex's tone.

"I think we should appease the xenophobes so they stop spreading their vitriol all over the Internet. What if we said that the FBI has launched an internal investigation and that you're suspended until the investigation is complete? Of course, if the length of the 'investigation' coincides with your recovery time it's no real loss," Susan offered, brainstorming quickly on her tablet.

"That could work, except the press will expect a follow up on the investigation." Alex agreed.

"By that point, hopefully you and Kara will have worked things out one way or another and we'll go from there." Alex nodded.

"I'm fine with your plan, just add a no comment from me and send it out."

"Will do. Did you nee…"

Vasquez paused mid-sentence as Dr. Henderson swept into the room, her dark curls piled high on her head in a bun and wearing obnoxious neon pink colored scrubs. Alex and Vasquez stared at the older woman.

"Maura? What are you wearing?" Alex asked, not quite believing what she was seeing.

"I lost a bet with Hart. Don't worry about it. I'm here to get you ready to head to Stand Down. And Vasquez I'm glad you're here; it saves me the trouble of having to find you. As punishment for sneaking Danvers sweets you'll be in charge of escorting her home and making sure she's settled."

"But Chief..."

"No buts, Vasquez. Now shoo, I know you have media queries to deal with."

"I guess that's my cue. I'll see you when you're released from Stand Down. Goodbye Agent Danvers, Chief Henderson." Vasquez squeezed Alex's arm then shuffled away, already engrossed in her tablet. Maura watched her go with a fond smile before turning her attention back to Alex.

"So polite, that one. Now let's take a look at those ears."

"Chieffff," Alex whined.

"Quit squirming Alex," Maura said as she peeled the circular bandages off Alex's ears.

"It doesn't exactly feel pleasant you know," Alex replied, suppressing a flinch as the sticky part of the adhesive took out small bits of the baby hairs near her temples.

Maura smiled all teeth as she wiped away the dried blood with antiseptic and then carefully examined each ear in turn. Maura hummed and scrawled a note on Alex's medical chart. Alex shifted uneasily, waiting for the verdict.

"Well?" Alex asked impatiently.

"Well, lucky for you, your body is responding well to the Ambrosia treatment. Your healing rate has accelerated significantly. Your eardrums look healthy and are responding within acceptable parameters. Though next time you decide to bring out the rocket launcher, make sure you're wearing your helmet. At least then you'll have some ear protection and I won't have to scrape together new eardrums for you."

"Yes Ma'am." Alex gave her a mock salute in agreement.

Maura whacked her on top of the head gently with her medical file. "Brat."

Alex grinned at the words. "So does this mean I'm good to head to Stand Down?"

"We're getting there. I just need to check on your arm's progress. Extend your arm out and make a fist." Alex complied as best she could, but winced at the brand new skin covering her knuckles painfully pulled taut.

"The epidermis has healed nicely, but the fractures are going to take more time. Of course the actual break itself will take at least another three weeks even with an accelerant."

"So when I'm back from leave I'll be alright to return to active rotation?"

"Nice try, but no. I'm not signing off on you returning to the field until I'm 100% sure that arm isn't going to shatter next time you want to wrestle one of Fort Rozz's finest. This is the third break this arm has gone through within a five year period. If you were any other agent, I would recommend pulling you from the field." Alex stared at her state of the art cast. She might have been the one to design it after her last bad break. R&D had improved her initial prototype dramatically.

"I don't mean to keep breaking it." Alex flexed her hand and winced.

"I know, Alex. It's your dominant arm, so you use it the most and therefore it gets injured the most. Unfortunately, one more bad break and I'm going to have to do something drastic with your radius and ulna." Maura efficiently checked some of Alex's various lacerations and bruising.

"What were you considering?" Alex asked curiously.

"Complete bone replacement. Though replacing it with a compatible donor would only give you new bones to break, so I was thinking more along the lines of some sort of dense alloy that won't shatter as easily." Alex stared, then blinked, flabbergasted at the idea.

"The entire bone?"

"Yes. We'd have to come up with something that not only your body wouldn't reject, but also combat certified. I'll have R&D look into it, you're not the only agent with repeat breaks I have to deal with, this could be a solution. Nothing's set in stone yet, it's just an idea," Maura clarified.

"I'll do a little research myself. It'd be easier for me if I didn't have to go around worrying my arm is going to shatter if I just so happen to punch an alien the wrong way."

"Well, worry about healing from this break first. Any lingering spasms from the electrical damage?"

"Only a few when I'm about to fall asleep. I'll jerk a bit, but nothing major."

"That's about normal then, if you continue to spasm after three weeks we'll reevaluate then. I'm going to take a blood sample to check on your white blood cell and platelet count. If you're within the normal parameters I'll release you to Stand Down. Did Vasquez get you started on your out processing paperwork?" Maura unhooked Alex's IV and wheeled it to the side of the room shutting down several of the monitors.

"Yes. I should be good to go."

"Excellent. I'll be back in twenty minutes or so with your lab results. While I'm doing that, Stand Down gave me this for you. I suggested the hair color so you're going to have to deal." Maura handed her a box of R&D's semi permanent hair dye. Alex didn't typically have to use the dyes the DEO had available since Alex didn't normally go undercover, that was more up Agent Collins territory. Collins rotated hairstyles, hair colors, and colored contacts frequently enough that most of the junior agents had no clue what she actually looked like.

"Sizzling Red? Really Maura?" Alex wasn't opposed to the color per se, in college she dyed her hair blonde for a time, but it got weird when she went home for break and the shade matched her mother's exactly.

"Like I said, deal with it. The dye has to be set before you can leave so I would get started. Hopefully the color will be enough to throw most people off when they glance at you." Alex sighed and opened the cardboard package with one hand. The dye, like most things at the DEO, was state of the art, designed to be applied and set within twenty minutes. All Alex had to do was gather her hair up in the shower cap like applicator and wait for the chemicals to do their magic, no water or heat required.

"I'll leave you to it, behave!" Maura called over her shoulder.

"I always behave!"

Maura snorted and shut the door behind her leaving Alex alone to her thoughts.

Alex had just shaken out her newly dyed hair when Hank swept in with a knock. He was carrying snacks and looked like he hadn't slept in a week. He sat heavily on the chair next to Alex's hospital and began to munch on a handful of mini Oreos.

"J'onn? Are you okay?"

"Oversight is killing me. This is why I let you and Vasquez handle them. Idiots." He chewed aggressively on the cookies and relaxed into a slouch in his chair.

"What are they harassing you about this time?"

"They seem particularly invested in capitalizing on your newfound public identity as Agent X. They want to make you the face of the DEO. Or rather the helmet of the DEO. I don't want your face out there, obviously. Nice hair color by the way, very sizzling."

Alex narrowed her eyes at his quip.

"That would mean going public with the agency it wouldn't take long for our FBI covers to begin to unravel after that, we'd be putting our personnel at risk. I'll talk to them, I promise."

"I imagine your interrogation with Oversight will cover those eventualities. Thankfully, Maura has strong-armed them into leaving you alone until your medical leave is over. After that we can't protect you from their questioning. I got asked the minutiae of your interactions with Supergirl going back as far as I've known you. They're very eager to know just how close you two are exactly."

"Well, they can get in line. The entire country wants to know the same thing. I don't have anything to say to them right now."

J'onn face turned from stressed to sympathetic in an instant. "Alex...have you decided what you're going to tell Kara yet?"

"No, not really. I keep hoping that if I close my eyes and wish really hard I won't have to talk about my feelings." Alex tried to quiet her thoughts like J'onn taught her so he wouldn't accidentally hear the freaking out inside her mind.

"Alex, you know I try my best to respect your privacy, but I want to be here for you. It's been over 200 years since I've had to court anyone, but I'm willing to give you whatever advice and support I can. You and Kara have something special. I might not always have been very supportive in the past, but after seeing you two interact with each other both in the field and out of it, I can tell how close you two are, how much you two love each other." Alex looked over at the empty sunbed and nodded.

"It seems everyone can tell. God, I must look like such an idiot running after my own foster sister like this."

"Alex, be honest with me. Have you ever really thought of Kara like a sister?" J'onn asked.

"Well, no. Kara has been many things to me before: a stranger, an annoyance, my friend, my best friend, my confidante, my rock, my biggest cheerleader, but sister...no that never really fit for us." A flush began to grow on Alex's cheeks to the tips of her ears and down her neck.

"What do you want, Alex? Forget the past for right now. Let's just assume you two have no looming responsibilities or secrets to keep. What do you want?"

 _That's a good question._

"I want home. I want to come home at the end of the day and I want Kara to be there waiting for me. I want for us to be an _us_ without an afterthought or postscript at the end to qualify our relationship. I want for us to admit that being soulmates is something much deeper than we've ever acknowledged before. I want to love Kara without that voice in the back of my head that sounds like my mom telling me that my love for Kara is wrong. I want people to be right when they assume that we're married, because we are. I want Kara to call Earth her home, mean it, and be happy. I just want Kara. That's all I've ever wanted." It had been years since Alex articulated her feelings out loud to anyone before. Susan had asked a few times in the past, but never pushed when Alex lost her nerve to say anything more.

J'onn smiled and hugged Alex close, relishing holding the closest thing he had to a daughter again in his protective arms. J'onn didn't speak, instead he offered Alex a wave of positive emotions. Paternal pride and love mixed with hope and acceptance soothing away Alex's own conflicted mixture of fear and self-loathing.

' _If you want her, Alex. Tell her. Let your love set you free_.'

Alex shuddered, hiding her tears in the rough material of his dark shirt. Alex didn't say anything or even move when Dr. Henderson returned to the room with her blood results.

Maura paused at the adorable sight of her best friend cuddling their starkid. She palmed her phone into her hand and snapped a picture for her personal collection before kicking off her shoes and lifting herself up onto the edge of the bed to join the hug. Hank lifted his arm as Maura burrowed closer into the embrace.

"You guys are going to give me a cavity if you keep being so cute."

Alex groaned at Maura's teasing and pushed her on the shoulder with her good arm. "Oh shut up Maura, you love it. What's the word?"

Maura smiled and handed Alex a small stack of papers and a pen.

"You're in the clear. Sign and date your release paperwork and I'll walk you to Stand Down myself."

Alex cheered and hastily sped through the paperwork, signing carefully along the way. When she was done she offered Maura the paperwork with a huge smile. Hank and Maura both smiled back at the happy expression.

"I'm so glad to get out of here."

Hank helped Alex to her feet and offered her his arm to help walk her to the elevators to take her to sublevel one where the Stand Down quarantine was located.

Stand Down was the nickname given to the out-processing wing of the DEO. Occasionally civilians and non-combat personnel were required to be in _and_ out-processed through the facility before they could begin to work or head home. It was also required that agents who would be leaving the DEO for more than five days needed to be out-processed.

The procedure was typically fairly painless. First, one had to sit in a quick decontamination steamer to ensure they didn't accidentally bring harmful bacteria or viruses in or out of the facility. Then all of the equipment and baggage brought in and out of the facility was inventoried, checked, and approved. The agents exiting the DEO for extended leave were given a post mission debriefing and a mandatory psych check before they were allowed to leave.

Alex hadn't been looking forward to the psych eval. _Dr. Hart has it in for me._

Hank sensed the direction her thoughts had gone in and patted her back to reassure her.

"Contrary to what you might think Alex, Dr. Hart only wants what's best for you. Please actually try and meet her halfway. Ultimately, it will be her decision on when you can return to the field when you've recovered."

Maura joined him in agreement. "I don't understand your unease with Kim, Alex. The woman likes you well enough." Maura had a point, Dr. Hart did seem to like her, even when she was being incredibly nosy and benching her unnecessarily.

"There's something off about her, I just can't let go. She moves like a predator. It's creepy," Alex replied trying to brush off her unease.

Dr. Hart, aka Psych, was the only person on base that unnerved Alex - that was including the Almerac heir apparent they had stashed in their high security cell on sub level 8.

The doors in Stand Down leading to Dr. Hart's office hissed open dramatically. Dr. Hart was reclined back in her chair with her boots resting up on the corner of her desk as she scrolled through something on her tablet. She raised a single dark eyebrow at the three standing before her.

"I didn't realize Agent Danvers required backup for a routine psych eval. Nice hair, agent. Pink's a great color on you Chief, did you lose a bet again?" she quipped.

Alex tried to keep her face neutral as she sank into the proffered chair across from Dr. Hart's desk. Maura and Dr. Hart went back and forth for a few moments about the virtues of the color pink before Hank interrupted.

"We'll leave you two to it then. Agent Vasquez should be waiting for you when you're done," Henshaw murmured before turning on his heels and leaving his protégé to Psych's tender mercies.

"Take it easy, Alex. Vasquez will have your care directions with her when you two leave. Get some sleep. Call me if you start having pain management problems." Maura squeezed Alex's shoulder affectionately before racing after Director Henshaw, the two bantering about Jeopardy questions of all things.

Alex swallowed and focused on breathing normally.

"So Agent Danvers, I have a lot of questions. However, I know for a fact working through them is going to take quite a bit of time, so I'm going to offer you a deal."

Alex stared at the older woman suspiciously. Dr. Hart was dressed in the standard issue black scrubs that the DEO medical personnel wore with a light grey lab coat, dark brown hair swept up into a ponytail. Even decked out in scrubs, she looked more like a model than a government shrink.

"I'm listening."

Dr. Hart smirked and leaned forward to close some of the distance between the two.

"The deal is this: over your three week medical leave I want you and Supergirl to have a long long talk about your feelings and make a decision together about what you're going to do about those feelings. When you've figured that out, I want to start a twice weekly therapy plan for you and see if we can tackle your breathtaking codependency issues."

Alex wanted to defend herself, but she immediately recognized a good deal when it was offered.

"So let me make sure I understand this; you'll let me walk away today if I promise to confront Supergirl and show up for counseling sessions when I get back from leave?"

"That's the gist of it. You must have that discussion with Supergirl prior to our sessions. I can't help you if you refuse to move forward. Maura and I are in agreement that you will not be approved for field work until we're sure you won't get yourself killed by being reckless and overprotective."

Alex sighed. "How many sessions do I have to do?"

"This is a unique case, so it's at my discretion. Your emotional stability is important not just to yourself and your loved ones, but your subordinates as well. You put every agent you take into the field at risk when your mind is focused on our Kryptonian asset."

Alex scowled at that last bit. "I don't need a lecture from you, Dr. Hart."

The other woman raised an eyebrow at her. "This isn't a lecture. This is the reality of the situation. Now go on and meet Susan. There's no use talking to you when you're all defensive like this. Remember our agreement."

Alex stood and turned away from the razor-focused eyes watching her from behind the desk.

"Yes, ma'am. I'll see you in three weeks."

"Danvers," Dr. Hart called out.

"Yes?"

"If you start having panic attacks, flashbacks, or reoccurring nightmares, I'll need to know immediately."

"I'll let you know, I promise."

"Good, now get out of here."

Alex fled the office as fast as she could before Psych could change her mind and spend hours prying into Alex's personal thoughts for her own enjoyment. Alex wasn't really paying attention and nearly knocked Vasquez on her ass as she rounded the corner of the hallway.

"Shit. Jesus, Alex be careful. Knock me on my ass why don'tcha?" Vasquez grumbled as she regained her balance against the wall.

"Shit, sorry V. I'm ready to leave, is the car packed?"

"Yeah, I confirmed that your new suit, laptop, and that Kryptonian artifact you requested are all packed away in the trunk. Let's get out of here, I've been given the rest of the weekend off and my bed is calling my name."

Alex cheered a little bit. "I hear that! Let's get out of here, I'm tired of breathing recycled air."

Vasquez laughed and hurried her pace to catch up with Alex.

* * *

"Shit, this is heavy. What else did you pack in here, bricks?" Vasquez complained. She grunted with exertion while she helped Alex lift the crate from the trunk of Vasquez's SUV to the elevator of Alex's apartment complex. Alex had insisted she be dropped off at her own apartment rather than Kara's. Susan didn't bother to argue once she saw Alex's determined expression.

"I had my lab tech pack up some of the non-classified projects I was working on so I'll have something to do in my free time. Pretty sure it's my communications project that's so heavy in here."

"You are such a workaholic I'm tempted to tattle on you to Dr. Hart."

Alex mock gasped at Susan's teasing. "You wouldn't!"

"I might. You have to promise to rest, Agent Danvers," Susan said with her expression schooled into her best impression of Hank.

Alex laughed. "Stop it, I swear you practice that face in the mirror. We're here, you have my keys?"

Susan wrestled with the key ring with one hand before sliding the correct key in place. The key stuck slightly as she turned, a big red flag that the lock had recently been picked. Susan rolled her eyes, _Collins_. She pushed the door open and the two shuffled inside heaving the heavy crate onto Alex's small dining table.

With the crate taken care of, Susan wiped her hands off on her pants and promptly face planted on Alex's sad little couch.

Alex tossed her rain jacket at Vasquez's head, who just let the clothing slide down the back of her head and then puddle to the floor.

Vasquez turned her head and smiled when she realized that Alex's place had been cleaned in her absence. The wooden floors were sparkling, everything was neatly arranged and dusted.

Alex turned 360 degrees examining her clean apartment. She was never dirty, but she did have a tendency to collect clutter when she was wrapped up in her projects. Alex just hadn't been to her apartment in like a month, so she wasn't expecting to come back to the smell of ocean breeze air freshener and a stocked fridge. Alex rummaged through her fridge and found her glock had a sticky note on it.

'Really Commander? In the fridge?' Alex recognized Lowry's neat scrawl anywhere and felt a new surge of affection for her youngest team member.

"Lowry cleaned my apartment?" Alex asked over her shoulder at Vasquez, who was now turning the present that had been left on the table in her hands.

"Collins too apparently, they left you a present."

Alex's curiosity got the better of her and she tore the wrapping paper from the package impatiently. She used her pocket knife to open the package, then gently pried the object out of its place. It was a beautiful dark wooden picture frame with the now infamous shot of Agent X carrying Supergirl out of danger in black and white.

"What's the note say?" Susan asked peering over Alex's shoulder. Alex opened the note that came with it with one hand.

"Agent Danvers, your strength and compassion inspire us more and more everyday. A gift from us to you, to remind you why you chose to place yourself in danger everyday: love. Sincerely, Collins, Lowry, Richards, and the rest of the Operations personnel. Aww, those saps," Alex murmured, touched.

"Suck ups, the lot of them. Where are you going to put it A?" Vasquez asked. Alex looked around the room in consideration before pulling the frame tight to her chest.

"Next to my family portrait in my bedroom. I can't really display this for everyone to see without people asking questions," Alex replied, gently rewrapping the frame back into the box.

Susan smiled at Alex's own sappy expression. _Pot, meet kettle_.

She glanced at her watch. "Can I get you anything before I go? It's getting late and BBC America is having an Orphan Black rerun marathon right now."

"No, no. Go ahead. I'm just going to unpack and go to bed."

Susan leaned against the door examining her friend. "Alright. Call me if you need anything. Get some rest. Oh, and Alex."

"Yeah?"

"Call Kara. I'll check in on you tomorrow."

"Bye V, drive safe." Alex shut the door behind Susan and leaned heavily against it.

Alex sighed; _finally alone_. She wandered back over to her crate of materials and unlocked the security features. She lifted the lid to expose the contents. Alex ignored her revamped tac suit and instead pulled out the heavy duty otterbox clearly labeled SOL-X04.

She opened the box slowly. A soft light glowed from within. Lying innocently in its foam protective insulation was a single long crystal that pulsed with a faint light. Alex gingerly pulled out the crystal to examine it in the kitchen light.

Alex had spent the better part of the year repairing the minute cracks in the crystal and consulting with the Alura AI to ensure that the integrity of the crystal was still intact. Alex had been planning on giving this to Kara on her name day, but they needed this now more than ever.

She hesitated for a moment. Maybe giving Kara this piece of home was poorly timed. Their upcoming conversation would no doubt cause tension. Throwing in another secret that she's been keeping from Kara wouldn't go over well.

Alex bit her lip, conflicted. She had spent a great deal of time translating through Kryptonian archival information to repair this crystal. It had been a labor of love, and she would hate for this gift to be tainted with hurt feelings.

Alex returned the crystal to its protective box and closed the lid. The sound of the lid closing echoed loudly through her empty apartment. Even with Collins and Lowry cleaning the place up it felt like something was missing. Alex padded towards her bedroom and went through the motions of getting ready for bed. She was half changed into pajamas when Alex opened her drawers to find some fresh socks and instead was met with an empty underwear drawer. Alex blinked and sighed. All of her stupid socks were at Kara's.

The rain was finally starting to let up outside, but lightning cracked across the sky and plunged her apartment into darkness. _Wonderful_. Alex slid underneath her sheets and tried to get comfortable.

The faint ringing in her ears made it impossible to relax, it was so quiet. Alex kicked her blankets off in frustration, the sheets felt too scratchy, the blanket was too thin, the bed was too big. Alex checked her phone and saw there were no messages.

"Woman up, Danvers," she said to herself. She wouldn't be getting any sleep at this rate and without some medicinal aid to help her drift off she would be stuck with her thoughts until her body decided to finally shut down. Alex checked her phone again, debating if it was worth it to call Kara. They hadn't spoken since Kara had flown away to go to work.

Alex turned over and faced the two pictures now displayed on her bedside table. Alex stared at her own smiling face; in the picture she was wrapped in a tight hug with Kara, their eyes locked as Alex's parents made bunny ears behind them. Alex felt the ache in her chest deeply. She hadn't felt that deep sense of longing since she had come clean to Kara about what her job was really about.

Alex sat up and swung her legs off the bed. "This is ridiculous. I can't even sleep alone anymore. It's college all over again," she said to herself as she redressed. She strode into the living room and grabbed her empty backpack, shoving her new tac suit and the otter box inside. She grabbed her keys and raincoat and left her apartment behind, she had a Kryptonian to find.

* * *

Kara had just changed into civilian clothing when the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

Alex was nearby.

She focused in on the sound of her favorite heartbeat and jumped when it was much closer than she anticipated. Alex was standing outside her apartment door. Kara narrowed her eyes to look at her through the wall of her apartment. Alex was pacing back and forth, her heartbeat fast. Kara took a deep breath and took out her phone.

'Alex 3: Are you going to come in?' she sent. Alex jumped at the vibration in her pocket and stared at her phone for at least a minute before typing out her reply.

'Kara: is that okay?'

'Alex 3: don't be silly, come inside.'

Alex hesitated in front of the door, trembling in anticipation as her hands sweating nervously. She turned the door handle and stepped into the apartment to face the music.

 _Now or never, Danvers._

* * *

END CHAPTER FIVE

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey guys, I'm so sorry for how long this took for me to update. I feel super bad about making you all wait. My semester was just really intensive, I didn't have time to really focus on non-school things. My semester is over now so hopefully the next two chapters will be rolling out sooner. Thank you so much for all of the great feedback and encouragement in the comments. I read every single one and they really help motivate me to write faster. If you would like to see additional content or my progress for PGT check out my tumblr tag here  tagged/PGT. I normally try and post my progress on the chapters as well as add character bios, worldbuilding stuff, fanart, and excerpts there. Coming next is the moment we've all been waiting for: Alex and Kara talk about their feelings.


	6. Collide

People Gonna Talk

Chapter Six: Collide

The door eased open as Alex popped her head inside then entered slowly, her eyes darting around the apartment. Kara stood completely still next to her couch, watching Alex drop her stuff on Kara's dining table.

Kara's heart was beating wildly in her chest-or maybe it was Alex's heartbeat as she finally turned to look at Kara.

 _Rao, I missed her._

Alex took a step forward, her eyes tracing their way up and down Kara's form, looking for what Kara didn't know. So much had happened since they last saw each other. Now with Alex so close she didn't know what to do; she really just wanted a hug.

Kara swallowed nervously but held her arms out, trembling slightly. Alex stared for a moment searching Kara's teary face before crossing the living room with long strides. Kara met her halfway as they collided together with a soft thud, arms wrapping around each other, desperately seeking comfort only the other could provide.

 _She's here, she's okay._

Alex buried her face in the crook of Kara's neck and let out a shuddering breath. Kara's hand dragged from the small of Alex's back, up her spine, then tangled in Alex's newly dyed hair. When their bodies pressed closer together, she could feel Alex shiver against her. Kara didn't realize she was crying until she let out a sob.

Alex made a murmuring sound, vaguely Kryptonian, trying to sooth the woman in her arms.

"I've got you, Kara. Let it out." Alex could feel the bandage on Kara's stomach through her shirt. A tiny shiver of fear crept up her spine at the reminder that Kara almost wasn't okay.

"Missed you," Kara whispered into her ear. Alex gripped her tighter.

"I missed you too." Alex leaned back to look at her, her eyes dropping to Kara's lips. She forced her attention away from temptation.

The silence set in; neither of them knew what to say as their hug ended. The smell of eucalyptus in the apartment helped soothe Alex's frayed nerves. Kara stared, unblinking, her blue eyes eerie.

Kara was so intent on the features in front of her that she almost missed Alex's question.

 _Had Alex always had that freckle on her forehead? It was perfect kissing height._

"Kara."

Kissing. Kissing _Alex_. Kara's thoughts quickly derailed and came to a screeching halt. It must have shown on her face, because then Alex was leading her by the hand to the couch. They both sat.

"Are you alright, Kara?" Alex asked softly. Kara's eyes flickered up to meet Alex's, and then she rocked backwards to place distance between them. They sat on separate ends of the couch.

"I need to check on your wounds to see how they're healing, have you been following your care instructions?" Alex asked, leaning forward slightly to examine Kara's broken nose.

"I just changed the bandage, just need a little sun. Weather should be clearing up soon." Alex nodded, eyeing Kara's injured side then scooting a little closer. Kara so rarely got hurt, Alex just wanted to wrap her up in her arms and reassure her that it was all going to be okay. The reality was that her wants had gotten them into this mess to begin with.

"Kara...shit, I need a drink," Alex faltered, then looked away from Kara. Her eyes found an interesting painting on the wall.

As Alex's eyes unfocused, Kara lifted her hand to cup Alex's cheek. A tear escaped the corner of Alex's eye, where Kara caught it with her thumb. Kara turned Alex's face toward her as gently as she could.

Alex reluctantly met her eyes, a blush creeping up her neck. Kara leaned forward so that their foreheads touched, their crossed legs meeting at the knee. Kara breathed in a shuddering breath, smiling faintly at the smell of Alex's unique scent.

"Hey," Kara whispered gently.

"Hey, yourself," Alex said. She reached out with her uninjured arm and caught Kara's hand. Her fingertips drew slow circles on the top of Kara's hand as she focused on calming down. Everything was just really overwhelming. Tears burned at the corner of Alex's eyes.

"Look at me, Aly. Hey. Shh. Are you okay? How's your arm? Do you need me to get you anything?" Kara questioned, leaning back to look her over. Alex looked pale and worn out , more so than usual.

"I'm just really tired, Kar," Alex said. She was a little embarrassed by the use of Kara's personal nickname. It was a thing they did rarely, and only in private.

"Aly..." Alex shuddered; when Kara spoke to her in that tone of voice, Alex felt like she was the most important person in the world. It was impossible to lie to Kara when she's so damn genuine.

"Okay, and yes, my arm hurts," Alex admits. "Maura and I were throwing around some ideas to help with that in the future. I'll live."

Kara's eyes took in Alex's defeated expression. She turned her hand palm up to laced her fingers together with Alex's.

"You look like you're going to throw up. Talk to me. Please." Alex could so rarely deny Kara when she really wanted something.

Kara waited a moment for Alex to speak, she watched as Alex swallowed hard and looked away.

"I was so scared, Kara," Alex said through tears. "I was so scared you were going to die. Please, don't ever do that again." Alex squeezed Kara's hand tightly.

 _She's right here. She's safe with me. She's okay._

"Shhh, I'm alright. You saved me. I'm here." Kara's other arm began to pull Alex into a half hug. The position was awkward, but they needed the contact.

"What if I was too slow, Kara? I could have lost you." Alex's mind immediately rejected the idea of a life without Kara. If Kara had died that day, Alex would have stopped at nothing to destroy Maxwell Lord. Nothing would have been able to save him from her.

"You won't lose me. I survived, the bad guy lost, and you saved me," Kara reminded her.

Alex locked eyes with Kara, a grim look on her face.

"Kara, I won't always be around to help you. You have to be more careful. Please." Alex had made plenty of mistakes in her time. She prayed to whatever deity that was out there that her fuck ups wouldn't get the most important person in her life killed.

She had failed before at protecting others, the Alacorian op had been an utter disaster; not only had Susan lost her leg, but dozens of agents had died. The weight of that failure would follow Alex for the rest of her life.

"Don't talk like that, Alex. You've got a long life ahead of you," Kara tried to reassure her the best she could, completely forgetting the most important factor.

"Kara…" Alex had known Clark for most of her life. He hadn't aged a day past twenty five, but he was nearly forty.

Kryptonians didn't age the way humans did under the light of the yellow sun. Kara would likely outlive Alex by hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Theoretically, Kara could live as long as the sun remained in the current stage of its life span. The sun wasn't going to enter its red giant phase for another five billion years by Alex's estimate.

"So, are we going to talk about the aftermath of this mess?" Kara asked, dragging Alex out of her depressing realization.

Alex winced. "Which part?"

Kara paused for a moment to collect her thoughts.

 _Maybe how the whole world thinks we're together? Or how I can't sleep without you by my side?_

Kara wanted to ask her about Agent X, and even SuperX, but she wasn't ready for that yet. Not so soon after they had finally reunited.

"Let's start with Max Lord." It was a bit of a cop out, but they needed to do something about Max before he killed someone.

Kara watched Alex let out the breath she had been holding in.

"The DEO wasn't able to gather enough evidence to charge him with anything. He was able to use an employee at the lab as a scapegoat." Alex was ridiculously grateful Kara didn't ask about the tabloids.

"What a creep," Kara said. They both made grossed out expressions.

"I know. The guy disgusts me too. But at least Oversight agreed to launch a formal investigation against him."

Kara nodded in agreement.

"Good, he's dangerous, Alex." Whatever Kara was going to say next caught in her throat as she registered the new shade of Alex's bob, a subtle red mixed with the natural dark brown. It was incredibly attractive color on her.

"This is cute by the way," Kara said. She couldn't help herself and reached out to catch a stray lock, curling it around her finger before tucking it gently behind Alex's ear.

Alex felt a blush bloom on her chest, and then creep up her neck and cheeks at the husky compliment.

"Thanks, it's to help with the whole secret identity thing," Alex replied, trying to get her blush under control.

This seemed to sober Kara up as she dropped her hand back to her lap. "I'm sorry, this is my fault."

 _Alex shouldn't have to hide who she is because of me._

"Hey, forget about that for a moment. It's not your fault. People were bound to put two and two together about me eventually."

Kara went quiet, her expression falling again and she pulled her limbs back close to her body, practically curling up into a ball.

Alex sighed at the tense silence. Neither of them knew what to say.

 _No guts, no glory, Danvers._

Alex took a deep breath and let it out as she mentally prepared to do the most difficult thing she'd ever done in her life.

"Kara there's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you a long time ago, but I was scared." Kara's face grew concerned at Alex's terrified expression. She had never seen Alex look like that before.

"These past two days have been eye-opening to say the least. When those pictures and video surfaced of me taking you from the rubble of that lab," Alex paused looking away from Kara to stare out the window. Kara counted her breathing to a steady beat. A calming technique both of them used.

"Then the press, they saw me - the way I looked at you." Alex turned to look at Kara with a teary eyed self-deprecating expression. Kara reached out lace their fingers together, a determined expression on her face.

"What do you mean? This is my fault to begin with; I'm the one that needed rescuing. I'm the one that clung to you like that," Kara said, her face scrunching adorably.

Alex opened her mouth to say something but her words didn't seem to want to come out.

Kara cleared her throat awkwardly, squirming in her seat. She looked down at their interlaced hands and sighed.

"Alex, I'm so sorry about all of this. I tried to get Cat to see reason," Alex scoffed. Like anyone could make the Queen of All Media change her mind.

"Kara, the whole country thinks we're lovers. I couldn't believe how quickly the media came to the wrong conclusion."

"It's okay, Alex. I'll get Cat to run a retraction. I'll go on a talk show. Anything to make this right."

"That's just it, Kara. I can't help the way I look at you. I..."

Kara's head shot up. She stared at Alex, her blue eyes wide. She could hear the familiar tempo of Alex's steady heartbeat pick up in speed.

"What are you saying, Alex?"

Alex flinched at the sudden intensity of her gaze. She took a deep breath. _Courage_.

"I'm saying, God this is hard. I shouldn't feel this way." Alex locked eyes with Kara, she could hear her own heart beating wildly. Kara's eyes dilated until only a sliver of glowing blue remained. Alex breathed in, then out.

"Kara the way you make me feel…it's precious. How much I care about you. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Kara smiled at her-that beautiful smile that was just for Alex, her lips quirking upward in surprise. Alex blinked back tears, trying to keep it together, before looking away.

"Alex," Kara murmured. "Look at me, Alex Danvers." She waited patiently for Alex to slowly raise her eyes. "As long as I live I will do everything in my power to keep us together."

Tears began to drip down Alex's face. "You promise? Even after what I'm about to tell you? I can't lose you, Kara. I don't think I could take it."

Kara took both of her hands to cup Alex's cheeks, and then leaned her head forward to touch Alex's forehead with her own. "I swear. I won't let anything get between us. You mean the world to me, Alexandra Danvers."

Alex chuckled a little through her tears, her uninjured hand raised to rest over Kara's near her tear streaked face.

" _Alright_. Alright, I need you to just let me get this off my chest or I'll never have the courage to do it again."

Kara let her hands drop back to her lap and leaned back to give Alex her space. She smiled encouragingly and made a _go on_ gesture.

 _Deep breath, Alex_.

"Kara, ever since the day you landed in my backyard, my feelings for you have _burned_ in my chest. When I saw you for the first time-how sad you looked as my mother hugged you? You were so strong, despite losing everything. I fell a little bit in love with that strength. You're amazing, Kara."

Kara's eyes widened, but Alex seemed emboldened by her own words.

"And I'm only human, you know. It was the way you wrinkled your nose at seafood and how you cheered when Power Rangers was on. I loved the way you laughed in delight at cotton candy stuck on your face and hair. I loved the wrinkle between your eyebrows when you were concentrating hard. From all your little quirks, to your unfailingly loyal and compassionate personality, I couldn't help but fall deeper a little more each day."

Kara inhaled sharply, her eyes dropped from Alex's eyes to her lips in wonder.

"I love you, Kara Zor-El. I was afraid to tell you for so long. But I can't _not_ tell you anymore. I love you, more than I should. And I understand you don't feel the same way. I just needed you to know."

With that Alex let out a huge breath, and then slumped against the end of the couch, barely holding back a sob.

Kara swallowed, and then an instant later followed Alex to the end of the couch, wrapping her body around the shaking woman. She leaned down until her lips barely touched Alex's ear.

"Oh, Alex. **Khuhp i :zhao**. Te-Alexandra."

A gasp escaped Alex, and a moment later she wrenched away from Kara - only to find Kara smiling. Her vision blurred with tears as she reached for the lapel of Kara's shirt and tugged her forward.

Their lips met tenderly, neither quite believing what was happening, but reveling in the new sensation. Kara moved achingly slow; it was like coming home.

Alex's uninjured hand skimmed up Kara's back and buried itself in Kara's curly blonde hair. They separated briefly, their eyes still closed.

Kara could easily hear her own heart beating in time with Alex's.

Alex's eyes were shut, her mouth open slightly as she struggled to catch her breath. The tear tracks on her cheeks dried as she smiled. Everything, every moment, every struggle, all that pain had led them to this love.

Kara waited, and took a breath in.

Alex didn't move.

Another breath, and Kara couldn't wait any more. Alex surged closer to meet Kara's lips again, this time frantically seeking the connection they had craved for so long.

"You weren't the only one falling."

They traded tender kisses back and forth, falling onto the couch with giggles. They snuggled close as they had hundreds of times before, this time their hearts beat in perfect time. Time passed as they listened to the sound of the light rain hitting the window. Occasionally they would look at each other and smile, their lips meeting again. Wrapped up in each other, the rest of the world seemed to fade into the background.

Alex glanced over Kara's shoulder to where she left her backpack, a smile creeping across her face.

"Kar, I have something for you. Hold on." Alex reluctantly moved out of Kara's strong embrace. She grabbed the backpack and looked over her shoulder at the Kryptonian.

Kara looked like a lounging god with her hair streamed down the end of the couch in a wave of gold.

Alex approached slowly to kneel next to Kara, then began digging around in her backpack for her prize.

"What is it?" Kara asked curiously, sitting up. Alex smiled up at her and her heart stopped for a moment, completely dazzled by the satisfied smile on her face.

"A present. I know your name day isn't for a few months, but I'd rather give it to you now." Kara's eyes lit up in glee.

"I love presents!"

"Don't shake it." Alex chuckled, pulling the otterbox free from her backpack. She placed the otterbox in her lap, feeling the hard plastic digging through her pants. She turned the box so the label and the clasps were facing Kara, then lifted it up like an offering.

"SOL-X04?" Kara read aloud taking the box from Alex's hands. Her fingers traced along the edges before finding the clasps. With a subtle click the clasps gave way, and Kara's eyes widened dramatically as she opened the box.

"Alex," Kara gasped, "where did you find this?" The box glowed a soft red light; nestled between the foam insert was a single perfectly intact Sunstone.

"When I first started at the DEO, I was the only one who could read Kryptonian right. So they had me cataloging things found at the Fort Rozz crash site. Eventually I found out they had your pod in storage, so I asked to process it to see if they missed anything. I found this in pieces."

"Pieces? How…" Kara trailed off, and gently lifted the crystal from the box to look at it with her microscopic vision.

"I reported it as a broken decorative piece and used the Alura AI for help to repair it." Kara looked up, completely stunned.

"With Earth technology, that must have taken you months, even with the AI's help." Kara eyes shined with tears, her voice filled with awe. Alex smiled.

"Nearly a year actually. It was worth it."

"Do you know what's in it?" Kara asked, her thumb hovering over the activation sequencer.

"Hm, your mother called it 'a sanctuary' whatever that's supposed to mean." Kara immediately deposited the crystal back into the case and closed it.

"A sanctuary? I have a good feeling I know what it is. Maybe tomorrow if it stops raining I can show you."

"Sounds like a plan. I've been dying to see what's inside." Kara smiled and placed the box on the coffee table.

"Come here," Kara said, patting the cushion next to her. Alex stood and plopped on the couch. Kara wasted no time and pulled Alex into her lap.

"Thank you, Alex," Kara whispered burying her head in the crook of Alex's neck, then pressing a kiss there.

"Always. A little piece of home from me to you."

"I don't think I ever really appreciated your understanding of Kryptonese. You never really told me how you learned it."

"It's a long story."

"We have time."

* * *

Alex remembered the boy Superman used to be, back when he was little more than a farm boy trying out the big city for the first time. They got off to a rocky start, to say the least.

 _Midvale, Spring of 1995_

The first time her father brought home a Kryptonian was on Alex's sixth birthday. The boy was dripping cool April rain water all over her mother's clean floors, and she didn't even yell like she had at Alex for doing the same thing earlier. Alex stared at his wet hair and unnaturally bright blue eyes, and knew even as a freshly turned six year old that this boy was different. He walked with a limp as her parents fussed over him, bringing him into the living room and giving him hot chocolate.

"Go find Clark a towel, Alex," her father said, his back to her and his voice dismissive.

Alex wanted to remind him that he was supposed to take her to the tide pools today for her birthday; he had forgotten and now it was too late to go now that it was raining. Alex chewed on her lip and stared at her parents for a moment, then observed the boy who looked like someone had attacked him with a baseball bat, and turned away to fetch the towel without a word. They had forgotten.

 _Clark_ was his name and Alex hated him. He stayed for several weeks in the spare bedroom, recovering from whatever his weird problem was as her parents took blood samples and ran test after test in their basement lab. Alex wasn't allowed in the lab. Ever. No matter how many times she asked, they never let her sit with them when they were tinkering downstairs. Alex had long since learned to hate the words 'lab' and 'research' and 'dissertation' because they meant that she probably would need to put herself to bed. She hated having to check under her bed and and in her closet for monsters by herself, and bedtime stories were never the same if one of her parents wasn't there to do the silly voices.

Now that _Clark_ was here, her parents were always in the lab. _Clark_ was allowed to be in the lab with them and they never got impatient when he asked about their research. _Alex hated him._ It wasn't enough that he had stolen her parents attention: he always ate her favorite snacks before she could have any, he was a total sore loser at go-fish, he always turned the TV channel to stupid I Love Lucy reruns ("Clark's a guest, Alexandra, let him choose the show") and it just wasn't fair.

She couldn't wait to go to school every morning, even if Kindergarten was super boring. Anything to get away from the weird alien kid her parents brought in from the rain.

Alex was a good girl. She listened to her parents, she answered when she was called on in class, and she never ever cried because, "tears will just make you dehydrated, Alexandra, not get your way." Alex was a good girl, but she had just gotten off the bus from school and came home to a locked and empty house.

At least she remembered where her parents kept the spare key in the front yard or she would have been knocking on the door in the rain to be let in for ages.

Alex let herself in as she tried valiantly to stop the tears tracking down her face because "crying is for little babies, Alexandra, you need to be a big girl and use your words." It had been a long day. Clark had eaten all the cereal that morning, and her parents woke up too late to make her anything. She had wait all the way til lunchtime to eat, only to find an old granola bar, a broken calculator, a D battery, and a bunch of scratch paper covered in calculations in her lunch box. Alex hadn't brought any lunch money, so she toughed it out because "life isn't fair sometimes, Alexandra, the sooner you accept that the better." Then Mrs. Thompson got mad at her for writing her letters in cursive instead of print and working ahead in math.

Alex had been hoping to come home and raid the fridge, assuming Clark hadn't cleaned it out again. Instead, she got off the bus and found herself locked out of her own home.

Alex was a good girl; she took off her shoes at the door and hung up her rain coat, neatly making sure not to drip water anywhere. She padded silently through the dark house, listening for any indication that someone was home. She wandered over to the kitchen looking for a note, but didn't see anything but her mom's dissertation outline scattered on the kitchen table.

Alex dropped her little backpack at the table and ran to the fridge. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. The fridge was empty of pretty much everything except a mustard bottle and a moldy looking piece of cheese.

Alex opened the pantry. Maybe a can of soup? She pulled out several of the pantry drawers, finding only some raw rice. Alex's stomach rumbled as she closed the pantry drawer. She rubbed her eyes, frustrated that she was still crying when 'tears are unproductive, Alexandra.'

Alex was a good girl so she grabbed the mustard bottle and her back pack and went upstairs to her room to finish her daily work - even though it was a Friday and she had all weekend. Mustard tasted too tart by itself and it didn't really help the rumbling in her stomach. Alex finished her work and the bottle of mustard at the same time. She neatly packed her work away and grabbed the empty bottle to take to the trash downstairs. As she dumped the bottle into the bin her eyes caught the open door, revealing the stairs that led down into her parent's laboratory.

Alex was a good girl, but it couldn't hurt to take a look. Alex tiptoed down the steps into the workspace. It gleamed with polished chrome and white furniture. Various instruments and unused chemicals were laid out over most flat surfaces. The fume hood in the corner had the remains of an abandoned experiment still smoking under the fans. Several chalkboards covered with calculations and sample data were stacked in a line at the far wall, next to the hooks with her parents' lab coats and safety goggles on them. Alex pulled her mother's coat from its hook and shoved her arms through the pristine white sleeves. They were too long, and the bottom of the coat dragged on the floor as she walked toward a glowing, floating piece of junk she was certain belonged to Clark.

Alex crawled her way up the lab chair and stared at the floating crystal. It was the same unnatural blue color of Clark's eyes. She leaned forward to touch it slowly, but before her fingers could graze the surface, an image projected itself over the crystal. A beautiful woman's face looked at her curiously.

" **Ehrosh'bem kuhl. Ta-nahm i threv**?" the floating head said, her voice sounding inquisitive. Alex leaned closer to examine the woman's face, her hair curled like Clark's did when his hair got too long.

"Hello. Do you know Clark, Kal-El?" she asked, matching her tone. Her bluish face wasn't very expressive as it stared back. The image was quiet for several moments.

"You are the Danvers child, yes? You know my son, Kal-El?" The image spoke English with a heavy accent and stilted grammar. Alex scowled.

"Yes. My name is Alex." The image flickered for a moment before responding.

"Greetings, Alex. I am Lara-El, what do you require?" Alex stared at the floating woman's head. An alien computer stuck in a crystal. Alex wondered how it was able to understand English; Clark and her parents must have been working on it.

"Was that your native language that you greeted me in?" Alex asked, swinging her little legs on the lab stool and pulling some scrap paper closer to doodle on.

"Yes, Alex Danvers. I spoke Kryptonese," the image of a long dead woman replied. Her accent sounded strange. It sounded like a bunch of letter sounds bunched together to make words, but without the natural cadence of the word as a whole. Alex tilted her head and let her her fingers trace the edges of the crystal. It was cold and smooth to the touch.

"Could you teach me Kryptonese, Lara-El? I've heard Clark, er Kal-El, try it, I don't think he understands it very well." Alex asked leaning in until her smaller face was nearly nose to nose to the hologram. The image flickered and floated in the air in silence for a minute, and just when Alex was about to abandon the crystal for the vials of chemicals under the fume hood it flared to life once more.

"I could teach you, Alex Danvers, yes. But why do you wish to learn?" the woman asked, her simulated eyes staring into Alex's darkened brown orbs. Alex hesitated for a minute. Why would she care about a language long dead? The only native speaker on Earth was nothing more than an advanced Windows XP, the rest only knowing bits from fragments of a lost civilization.

"Well, the knowledge would be lost if something happened to Clark right? Clark has all this junk that came in his spaceship, but he can't read almost any of it! You could have a ton of really cool info stored away. Enough to make better spaceships than ours right? I always wanted to go to space. If I knew Kryptonese I might be able to communicate with other aliens! It would be so useful for diplomatic stuff, just like Klingon in Star Trek," Alex answered, speaking quickly with her excitement. Her protesting stomach was completely forgotten. Alex immediately began to dream of sitting in the Captain's chair of a sleek spaceship, ordering her crew to set course for the stars, all the amazing things she would discover.

The hologram waited a minute or two before replying. "Very well, Alex of the House Danvers, you shall be my student. You will learn Kryptonese, I will teach you of one of the mightiest civilizations ever to explore this galaxy, and I will show you how we fell. We will begin with the alphabet…"

The woman launched into her first lesson right away. Alex took careful notes as the A.I. showed her the image of the Kryptonian letter and how to pronounce it. Alex's childish voice trying to match the correct pronunciation for each foreign letter apparently could cause even computers to laugh. They were just about to move on to colors when Alex heard the slamming of a car door above the lab. Alex checked the clock on the wall, it was well past her bedtime.

" **Ehrosh'bem, te-tynth**!" Alex whispered before tapping the crystal back to its sleeping state. She paused for a moment then pocketed the crystal, abandoning her mother's lab coat and racing upstairs to her room before a key could even slide into the front door.

Alex dived into bed, the crystal pressed tightly to her chest as she heard the muffled sounds of grocery bags and her parents arguing downstairs. She breathed evenly until her heart rate slowed and she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"Those lessons came in handy," Kara said after Alex finished her story.

Alex smiled at her and hugged her close.

"Even though the grammar lessons nearly drove me insane it was so worth just to see you smile when Kal-El brought you to us."

"You didn't even like me back then," Kara teased.

"I was a teenager, I didn't like much of anything. But even back then you looked so cute I couldn't resist to show off to you a little," Alex admitted, suddenly embarrassed.

"You sure play the long game, Alex. I had no idea."

* * *

Her nose wrinkled at the heavy scent of smog and ozone that seemed to blanket the city Kal-El had brought her to stay, "Just for now, cousin."

Just for now had turned into days, then weeks, and now it had been nearly two months since Kal-El had pulled her from her escape pod. She almost wished that he had just left her there. Her cousin how looked so painfully like Kru-El it hurt. Instead of the toddler she had hugged goodbye as Krypton burned around them, she was left with a ghost.

Kal-El had left her here at his residence hours ago, as he did every morning. It was small, the entire residence about the size of her room back on Krypton when she wasn't deployed. The place was shabby, with patched and repaired furniture, and a leaky faucet that was slowly driving Kara crazy.

He had assured her this morning with tired eyes, while holding a cup of the bitter drink he liked, that he had to go to work and that he would, "be back in a jiffy," whatever that meant. The man's Kryptonese was atrocious, borderline incomprehensible. His understanding of Krypton was tinted by whatever message Jor-El had left for his son.

"A utopia," he had said with awe in his voice, "I wish I could have seen it."

Kara didn't have the heart to tell him about the food riots, the caste system, their house's fall from grace. She rarely indulged his curiosity. Better that he know only the good of their world, than the shame of the fall of an empire.

Kara was watching something that Kal-El called, "a TV", which was just a screen that projected sequenced imagery on it. It was primitive in design, but functional enough; Kal-El had gotten mad when she had pried it apart to make it more efficient.

The blonde woman on the TV was hosting some sort of talk show, interviewing a politician of some sort. Kara liked this one because the woman's pregnant belly fascinated her. She so rarely saw pregnant women, almost all of the upper class choosing the more preferred birthing matrix to weed out undesirable traits. In the dark part of the back of her mind, Kara wondered if maybe that's what's wrong with Kal-El.

As she watched the woman on the TV make the politician cry in front of a live audience, a key turned in the door.

"Smallville, are you here? You skipped out on work and I can hear the TV?" a boisterous voice cut through the air and sent Kara diving towards the carpeted ground. Her ears were ringing.

"Smallville?" The door shut, and Kara could see through the couch for a moment, a skeleton approaching her. Kara tensed and reached for the remote, the only weapon she had. The plastic shattered in her hand the moment her fingers wrapped around it.

The loud woman gasped and suddenly the skeleton snapped into focus, until skin and hair and startled eyes stared down at where Kara laid in an army crawl on the floor. Remnants of the shattered plastic were still in her hand as the woman said something in a language that didn't even sound like English.

Kara resisted the urge to interrogate the woman who just waltzed into Kal-El's residence. The loud woman's eyes darted to the screen where the TV hostess was now monologuing in front of the crowd. Her lips twitched upwards almost into a smile before rolling her eyes at the TV show, a gesture Kara now knew as flippant here on Earth.

Kara wracked her brain for a moment trying to remember the basic English vocabulary she and Kal-El went over.

"Hungry." Kara said seriously, looking at the woman's clothing in absolute fascination. The woman laughed.

"Hungry, huh? I'm Lois." The woman stuck her hand out towards Kara with a smile.

Kara stared at the hand until it dropped to the woman's side. She stared up into Lois' confused face. The name was familiar. Clark never shut up about her: Lois this, Lois that, Lois is so smart Kara, Lois broke a guy's nose today Kara.

"Lois. Lois smart. I'm Kara," Kara said after a moment of staredown. Lois sat heavily on the couch; Kara copied her movement and the rickety couch creaked and then crashed to the ground with a thud, bringing up a huge cloud of dust.

"Shit," Kara said, repeating the word Kal-El had scolded the hot dog vendor down the street last week for saying in front of her. Lois burst into laughter beside her.

Kal-El came home an hour later to the sound of laughter. Lois was surprisingly good at teaching Kara new words. The word telephone, had made Kara burst into giggles as she shoved a slice of pizza into her mouth. Pizza was Kara's favorite word, she had never had it before, but the gooey cheese and layered meats were delicious.

Kara waved as Kal-El did every time he left and came home. Kal-El returned the gesture before being swept up into the bathroom, the only enclosed space in the residence, by Lois. Kara sat alone, suddenly missing the warmth of the kind woman beside her.

Kara's ears easily picked up Lois' strident tone from the din of Metropolis.

"Smallville, really, keeping your orphaned cousin locked up in your dratty apartment all summer is hardly healthy, she needs fresh air, new clothes, and some friends to play with."

"Lois, I'm doing the best I can, this happened unexpectedly, I have to work and I can't afford a babysitter."

Kara recognized a few of the words in their conversation, most of it passing too fast for her to really decipher.

"There are youth programs through the city you could enroll her in."

"Look Lois, I know you mean well but Kara has certain special needs, she's not ready to be around other people yet."

"Do you have her in therapy then, someone to talk to and help her through this?"

"Lois, she barely speaks English, and I can barely afford rent and feeding both of us let alone paying for things like therapy."

"I can't believe immigration just left her here with you, you graduated last year from college and you live in a one bedroom apartment."

"I'm the only family she has left, okay?"

The frustration in Kal-El's voice was familiar. Whatever Lois was telling him, he either didn't agree with or didn't appreciate it. Kara hoped he was being polite to Lois, she was nice. Based on what she had observed over the time they spent together, Kal-El's manners left a lot to be desired.

"Look Clark, listen to me. I know she's important to you, but look at her, she's miserable. She can't live like this."

Kal-El let out a huge sigh. There was some shuffling from behind the door as if they had moved behind it.

"Clark. Think about what's best for Kara right now. There are other people out there better equipped to deal with orphaned children."

There was a pause.

"I need to make some calls."

"You do that Smallville, I'm going to go grab Kara some clothes that aren't hand me down Metropolis Uni memorabilia."

The door swung open suddenly, revealing a red-faced Kal-El and a smirking Lois, who swung her hips as she crossed the room to the door; she closed one eye at a Kara before slipping out the exit. Kara waved goodbye as Kal-El shut the door to the bathroom again.

"Hello, Eliza? It's Clark, I know you're busy with those samples, but it's important."

A few days after that Clark sat her down on the couch with a tub of the sweet dessert called ice cream. The glasses he didn't need still framed his face, and his fingers fiddled with the piece of cloth he hung around his neck every morning to go to work. Kara focused hard on not bending her spoon, yellow star planets and their radiation were a pain sometimes.

"Kara, I need to talk to you about something."

"Talk about something," Kara corrected impatiently, "the verb comes first in the sentence in Kryptonese, then the subject."

"Right, look this isn't working," Kal-El began.

"You're giving me away," Kara interrupted flatly.

He slumped forward, dropping his own spoon on the table in front of them, before straightening up and smiling like it hurt him.

"I'm not giving you away, I'm entrusting you into the care of some very good friends of mine. They already know about Krypton and they have a daughter about your age."

"How am I supposed to protect you if I'm living with them."

Kal-El laughed, right in her face, and then ruffled her hair. Kara scowled at the gesture, flattening the curls he left behind. "Kara, I do not need you to protect me."

Kara stared at him. "I promised your parents that I would."

Kal-El seemed to think this was funny, the way he was smiling down at her. "I was a baby then, I am a grown man, I do not need my cousin to look after me anymore."

"We are of the House of El, cousin. Stronger Together," Kara reminded him, shoving the spoon deep in the melting ice cream.

"Of course, cousin. But this will be better, for both of us." An explosion across the city caused them both to look out the open window, the sound hitting them a second after the light. Kara cringed at the noise; Kal-El was already half way into his super suit.

"I have to go, Kara. Put that away when you're done and go to bed I'll be back in the morning." With not even a glance back, he rocketed out the open window in a blur of motion.

Kara dropped the bucket of ice cream onto the coffee table and reached into the bag holding her few possessions. She changed out of the casual sleep wear she had on into the jeans and a black shirt with the House of El crest proudly displayed across the chest, and then laced up the complicated red canvas shoes Lois had bought her and grabbed her sword. Kara had pulled it from her pod before Kal-El had taken the ship away to his fortress. It had sat completely retracted in her bag ever since.

She attached it to the small of her back then lept into the night air, following the sound of the chaos.

The explosion had caused hundreds of police officers, medical personnel, and firefighters to swarm to the source of the explosion. It smelled like her father's laboratory: the sharp scent of chemicals mixed with the iron tinge of blood. Kara hovered in the shadow of a skyscraper, watching Kal-El blow a whirlwind of icy air onto the burning building.

"Well Todd, I'm on the scene here at Donovan Chemicals where an explosion of unknown origin has caused the entire building to go up in flames. It is currently unknown if anyone is still inside at this late hour. Superman is on the scene to help control the flames.."

Kara tuned the news woman out; the screams below the burning building were definitely not human in origin. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the glint of some sort weapon aimed right at Kal-El.

Her blade was out in a flash and she caught the bullet meant for Kal-El's head midflight, cutting it neatly in two. The man holding the gun yelled as she appeared in front of him, using the butt of her sword to catch him in the chest and sending him hurling off his sniper perch six stories into the air.

Kara watched him fall, absorbing a spray of bullets from his sidearm as he fell. Kara raced after him, sword poised in a downward strike to skewer the man who attempted to take away the last of her family. She would grant him no mercy.

She had only a split second to react as Kal-El's furious face appeared between her glowing blade and the falling assassin. With one hand Kal-El caught the man by the scruff of his shirt. Kara's blade stopped a hair's breadth from Kal-El's face.

"What the hell are you doing!" Kal-El shouted half in Kryptonese, half slipping into English.

"He was trying to kill you?" Kara explained, retracting her blade completely and stowing it.

"So what, were you just going to cut his head off?" Kal-El asked, dropping the unconscious man to the ground, his tone furious.

"Well, not his head, just his arm," Kara responded slowly, suddenly unsure of her cousin's fury.

Kal-El took her by the arm and roughly flew them both high in the air until Metropolis seemed like a toy set rather than an expansive city.

"Kryptonians do not kill!" Kal-El shouted, his eyes wide.

Kara frowned. _What was he talking about?_

"I do not understand, Kal-El. That man tried to kill you while you were distracted. It is my duty to keep you safe." Kal-El reached up with both hands to tug on his hair, suddenly distraught by her words.

"Is this what they taught you in that military school? On Earth we do not kill. Period. End of story," Kal-El said, taking her by the shoulders to look her in the eye.

"Kal-El?" Kara began unsure of what he was saying.

"Kryptonians are supposed to be better than that, peaceful and above killing. If you think protecting me means violating our most basic principles, then it is final. You need to be abandon whatever promise you made to my parents, I don't need you Kara. I'm taking you to the Danvers tomorrow." Kal-El's voice lacked inflection has he drifted in and out of Kryptonese, anger tingeing his tone.

"Give me that sword, Kara," Kal-El demanded with his hand out.

Kara recoiled, her right hand rested protectively on the inert pommel.

"No, this is mine. It's been passed down my mother's line for generations."

Kal-El took a deep breath and softened his stance slightly.

"Kara, sometimes I forget you are just a child. You don't need that anymore. Krypton is gone. You need to embrace Earth as your home now. And on Earth little girl's don't carry swords. Just give it to me, and I'll store it with your pod."

Kara looked towards the setting sun, the sky burned in shades a deep red. _Reminds me of Rao. Krypton is gone._

Kara felt a tear slip down her cheek, and then another. One of Kal-El's strong arms wrapped around her shoulders in a half-hug, as they watched the red soaked sun slip across the horizon.

"I'm sorry, Kara."

Kara wiped her face, unhooked the pommel from the small of her back, and pressed it into Kal-El's hand.

"There's a good girl. It's for the best, cousin," Kal-El soothed. Kara turned to hug him fully, and then allowed herself to be flown away.

The flight to the Danvers residence did not take long. Kal-El barely spoke to her other than to indicate when they needed to change direction to avoid detection. As they approached, the morning air began smell heavily of salt.

"They live next to Pacific Ocean, you'll love it," Kal-El shouted even though Kara could hear him easily over the rushing wind and waves.

Kara looked down at the water below in wonder. _How brave, or perhaps foolish, of this family to live so close to the sea._

"Are they not afraid of being poisoned?" Kara asked curiously, banking in the warm air to get some height between her and the great blue expanse.

"Poisoned?" Kal-El seemed confused.

Kara sighed, trying to tamp down her impatience with him.

"By the sea? Are they not afraid of the sea rising and poisoning their drinking water or melting their residence?"

Kal-El looked at her like she had just asked if she could tame a Torquat and bring it home as a house pet.

"No, it's just salt water, humans can't drink it obviously, but it doesn't like melt anything. I'm not an expert in water science, you could probably ask Eliza or Jeremiah about it. They would know."

Kara looked over at him doubtfully. _Uncle Jor-El would weep if he knew his son barely understood the geological sciences._

"There they are!" Kal-El pointed at the speck on the horizon. It rapidly turned into a simple single family residence with a large yard surrounding it and steps leading down to the shore line.

Two figures stood on the front lawn gesturing wildly as Kal-El did when he left for work in the morning. Kal-El landed gracelessly in front of them. Kara took a moment to hover next to him before dropping to the ground lightly.

The blonde woman introduced herself as Eliza Danvers, and as the doctor was saying something to her, Kara detected movement in the window of the residence.

Kara swallowed. There was a girl around her age watching them. The daughter Alexandra. Her hair was long and brown, with intense eyes watching Kara interact with Eliza. Kara caught a glint of familiar blue in the girl's hand before it disappeared.

The man Jeremiah said something to make Kal-El laugh, and when Kara turned back to the window the girl was gone. Kara's face felt hot and her heart was beating frantically in her chest like it had when Syra Lan-Gor would smile at her.

The blonde woman, "call me Eliza, darling," led her by the hand into their residence. Kal-El gestured goodbye and took off into the air without another word. _Goodbye, cousin._

"Alexandra, come meet your new sister!" Jeremiah called up the stairs to the next floor of the home. At least this residence was much larger than the hovel Kal-El called his own.

The girl appeared, her face neutral in disinterest. Kara's heart dropped to her stomach. Alexandra clearly did not want her to be here. The other girl stepped closer and looked Kara up and down, her eyes hovering right where the scar on Kara's abdomen was located, before looking up to meet her eyes.

"Ehrosh'bem, Kara Zor-El," Alex said, drawing out the words reluctantly.

Kara's eyes widened in surprise. How was it that this human had a better accent than Kal-El? She spoke with a High Kandorian accent that made Kara's heart twinge with homesickness.

"Erosh'bem, Alexandra Danvers."

* * *

Kara laughed into Alex's shoulder.

"The truth comes out! I knew you liked me, Danvers."

Alex didn't laugh. She just smiled slowly, gently moving Kara's face to look her in the eye.

"I really do, Kara Zor-El. And what a journey it has been. I'm tired, the ambrosia medication is catching up with me. I'll grab a blanket and bunk down here for the night." Alex made to get up, but Kara's embrace stopped her.

"Don't be silly, you'll sleep in our bed, like you've always done. Unless that makes you too uncomfortable." Kara looked unsure, her fingers fidgeting anxiously.

Alex watched her fondly. She took one Kara's anxious hands in to her own.

"Alright, I hate sleeping alone anyway."

Kara laced their fingers together and led Alex down the hall into the master bedroom.

"Me too."

* * *

END CHAPTER SIX

* * *

Kryptonese translations are all approximate:

 **Khuhp i :zhao**. **Te-Alexandra** : I love you, Alexandra. (Te- prefix is used here as a familial honorific or as a possessive marker.)

 **Ehrosh'bem kuhl. Ta-nahm i threv**? **:** Greetings, child. What is your name?

 **Ehrosh'bem, te-tynth! :** Goodbye, boss (teacher/mentor)!

 **Erosh'bem** : Can also mean Good Journey. Used as a greeting.

Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for sticking around during the long wait for this chapter. I want to give a big thank you to all of you for leaving comments and PM's encouraging me to keep going. These past few months have been very difficult for me, physically and mentally. Regardless of how long it takes, I will finish PGT and release an excerpt fic after the finale chapter. As always a huge thank you to my incredible friend and beta Beaglesinbowties for being my constant support and willing ear, couldn't have done it without you. For more information about updates and extras about PGT check out my tumblr at tagged/pgt


	7. Gravity

Chapter 7: Gravity

Kara sighed in bliss as she burrowed deeper into the crisp sheets of their bed, the air cool with the scent of eucalyptus calming her from the inside out. Alex's arms were wrapped around her securely as she snored quietly into Kara's shoulder. Kara felt like she was wrapped in a blissful cocoon of warmth and love. She was flying, yet grounded by the soothing rhythm of Alex's heartbeat. Unable to stop the call of sleep, Kara grinned and pressed a kiss into Alex's hair before drifting off.

* * *

 _Argo City, Krypton, Rao System, four years prior to K-Day_

Kara grinned widely, happy without really knowing why, as a few of her attendants helped her into her formal military uniform for tonight's ceremony. Kara had been looking forward to the event for months. Kara's entire family (and their vassal families) would all be in attendance with family friends and foreign dignitaries alike to dance and feast.

Krypton was generally a barren desert its main exports being technology and media. Very little plant life could be sustained, so food rationing and water shortages were common. Once a year for the Nova Cycle Festival the Great Houses gathered their allies and friends to feast, then shared the offerings to Rao with the people.

It was Kara's favorite holiday, the celebration leading to people dancing and singing in the streets. Soon the people would become drunk on their happiness, overflowing with food and drink, celebrating until Yuda rose high in the sky. Then and only then did each representative of the Great Houses relight their torches in the Holy Temple of Rao, symbolizing their Houses' promise to further the greatness of Krypton for Rao. The following day was spent in complete silence and contemplation as each Kryptonian reaffirmed what they must do for the glory of Krypton.

This year, Kara had the great honor of representing her house officially as the Heir of the House of El. Her Aunt would join her in the ceremony as the representative for the House of Ze, so she would not be alone as she stood before all of the Greater Council to relight the sacred flame of El. She would be the first to do so, as the House of El did every year to start the ceremony. The fact that her Great Aunt trusted her to complete this sacred duty was humbling. Her Great Aunt had led their House with strength and dignity for over forty years. Kara had been appointed heir when her Great Aunt's son had died in a tragic lab accident.

"Cousin?" a small muffled voice called through the door of her room. The Kelex unit chirped next to her and revealed a picture of two boys standing outside of her chambers, each dressed in fine formalwear.

"Just a moment Ellion," Kara answered. Kara enjoyed the affectionate nickname; only close family friends and other family members of the House of El would call the children of their House Ellion or Ella.

"Ellaaaaa, hurry, before all the dumplings are gone!" the younger boy cried through the door. Kara quickly attached her ranks to her uniform and opened the door. The boy fell face first to her feet. The older boy burst into laughter.

"Don-El, are you okay, cousin?" Kara asked, helping the boy to his feet. The five year old pouted, raking his reddish blonde hair in embarrassment, his bright blue eyes swimming in unshed tears. The older boy quickly swept the red faced Don-El into a hug and threw him over his broad shoulder.

"Kru-El!" Don-El squealed. Kara laughed at her cousin's display, chasing the two down the corridor. Kru-El was looking very sharp in his formal House robes. He was much taller than her with his inky black hair perfectly coiffed and bright blue eyes glittering in amusement. His long strides quickly outpaced her, forcing her to run to catch up.

"Ella, save me!" Don-El laughed, still trapped over Kru-El's shoulder. Kara grinned and slid forward, whacking the back of Kru-El's knee and sending him tumbling. Kara neatly caught Don-El out of the air as Kru-El slid across the polished floors, coming to halt in front of an amused group of dignitaries from Korvira.

"Ah Ambassador, I see you've met my wayward cousin. Kru-El, a moment please. Kara, dear, your Aunt Astra is looking for you." Jor-El appeared from the massive doors leading into the main hall and beckoned the embarrassed young man inside.

Don-El pouted, watching Kru-El get swept away by his Uncle. Don-El wriggled in Kara's arms.

"Down, Kara."

Kara obliged, setting him on the ground and offering him her fingertips to lead him in an intricate handshake. They made a face at each other, completely ignoring the side glances of the guests waiting to be let into the main hall.

"Kru-El is so cool, Ella."

Kara smiled in agreement. "He sure is! We're lucky to have him looking out for us, cousin. Come on, let's see if we can find my Aunt." Kara took her cousin by the hand and led him through the growing crowd, looking for the familiar black armor and silver cape.

"Uncle!" Kara called, spotting the familiar grey hair of Astra's husband. Kara so rarely saw him, especially at these functions. The man turned, his face set in a vaguely angry manner.

"Ah, Kara Zor-El. And young Don-El. Greetings, eager to begin the revel?" he greeted, his tone softening slightly. Don-El hid shyly behind Kara's formal red cloak.

"Yes! We're determined to sample the Fire Falls dumplings first. Isn't that right Don-El?" Don-El trilled softly and nodded, still partially hidden behind Kara's cloak.

"Ah, you've found my niece, love." The three turned to Astra at the same time. Astra was resplendent. She was dressed in formal armor as a General in the Kryptonian military force, with a silver cloak denoting her status as an heir to a Great House. Her hair curled wildly to her shoulders and bright green eyes were trained on her husband, her lips quirked in a soft smile.

"Aunt Astra! You look wonderful," Kara complimented, her eyes wide in genuine adoration. Don-El made a noise of agreement, his own eyes taking in all of the shiny commendations etched into Astra's armor.

"Very cool!" Don-El agreed. Both of the adults chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm. Kara grinned when Astra pulled Non into an embrace, kissing him softly, then threading their hands together.

"The feast is about to begin, Kara I just want to talk to you for a moment. Don-El why don't you show my husband the Flamebird and Nightwing statues, your father told me you were very fond of them." Don-El practically vibrated with glee and took the surprised man's hand, eagerly leading him away to show off his favorite thing in the El Fortress. Kara watched the odd pair go in amusement.

"I think Ellion will do well in the Arts Guild one day," Kara commented, following her Aunt through the parting crowd back into the family wing. The doors to the main hall remained shut behind them with the crowd still waiting for entrance.

"Do you think Nim-El would allow his son to choose the Art Guild?" Astra mused quietly, taking Kara's hand in her own and leading her to the General's quarters.

"I would convince Uncle Nim. Krypton needs artists too! Don-El could be the next great painter. Did you see the piece we did together in the forum? The one with the Snagriff? Don is talented, I wish everyone would quit acting like it's a big deal that he scored so lowly on his placement exam," Kara ranted, her cheeks puffing up in indignation on the behalf of her cousin. Astra sat and gently pulled her niece to sit next to her.

Astra observed the daughter of her heart for a moment. Kara's bright El eyes were squinted together as she squirmed for a moment to make herself comfortable on Astra's lap. Her curly blonde was neatly combed and braided back in the same manner as Astra, adorned with the metal headband that signified her status as an heir to a major House. It was like looking at a younger, blonder version of herself and her heart tugged inside her chest. _Kara is enough_. Astra thought. _Kara is mine and no one will take her from me._

Non had desperately wanted a child of their own. Neither of them could conceive naturally; military service and frequent space travel robbed them of the opportunity. Alura had cashed in several favors, but the Birthing council refused their petition again and again. Her mother's doing, no doubt. _No, Kara would be enough._

Kara sighed happily, snuggling into the warmth of her silver cloak. Astra pulled her close for a moment and inhaled the sweet scent of the perfumed oils in Kara's hair - and the tang of metal from her uniform.

" **Ieium**? What's wrong?" Kara asked, looking up at her with big sad eyes. _Who could ever want to hurt such an adorable child? Her Kara?_

"Kara, Little One. I need you to listen to me very carefully. This is important. I wouldn't lie to you, you know this."

"Of course, Ieium." Kara said her eyes wide, searching Astra's face for some sort of hint.

"I've received word that," Kara's hands on Astra's cloak tightened into fists. Astra paused and swallowed heavily, "that, um Ty-Ze is petitioning to administrative council for Kala to be recognized as heir apparent."

"Kala, seriously? Ieium, she's a monster, you should have seen her at the Academy," Kara stuttered. Astra pulled her closer, tucking her under her chin and wrapping her arms around Kara's small shoulders protectively.

 _Coward_.

"I am aware of your cousin's brutality. I told my brother he should have disciplined her years ago."

"They call her the Mad Dog, you know?" Kara murmured. "I tried to be nice to her when we saw each other, Kala was never interested. She's only a year younger than me, I don't understand why..."

"She is jealous, Little One, I just," Astra paused again.

 _There's still time to warn her_.

"I just want you to be aware, for when the inheritance hearing comes around."

"Do you think we will go to a contest?" Kara asked.

"Most likely, considering your Grandmother is backing Kala's petition." Kara gasped, hurt. Astra squeezed her tighter.

"It doesn't matter, Kara. I have already named you and will continue to back you. Your Grandmother is just trying to leverage me. I will not give her the satisfaction. Let's not let us ruin our night, when you see your Grandmother and cousin, do not let on that you are aware of the petition." Kara nodded seriously and allowed herself to be pushed off Astra's lap.

Astra adjusted their uniforms and smoothed Kara's hair.

"Come on, let's see if little Don-El has driven your Uncle Non mad yet." Kara smiled and raced after Astra's long strides, the night was still young.

Her Great Aunt Kahla had Kru-El organize the revel this year. She was still mourning the loss of her son and had taken a leave of absence from most of her Head of House duties. Kara had seen her at Ter-El's funeral, her face pale and drawn as she sent Ter-El's coffin to join with Rao. Kara wished that Ter-El was here for the party; he had always agreed to dance with her and laughed as he swung her around the dance floor. Ter-El was sweet and kind and he didn't deserve the ending he got.

 _I hope Great Aunt Kahla wins the court case against the Daxamite company that sold Ter-El's lab faulty equipment,_ Kara thought to herself as she scanned the room for her cousins. Astra's warm hand guided her closer towards the musicians who were taking up their instruments in preparation for the first dance. Her Uncle Non had Don-El clinging to his leg like a leech as Non conversed with the music coordinator. Astra snickered in amusement.

"...yes that will be fine, thank you." Non attempted to pry the boy from his leg but was rescued from having to struggle any further when Kara stepped forward.

"Don-El thank you for being patient, you ready to go find those dumplings?" Kara swept the boy up into her arms and mouthed 'thank you' to her Uncle over Don-El's head. Astra smiled down at her and made a shooing motion.

"Bye Aunt Astra, Uncle," Kara called over her shoulder, side stepping caterers and harried looking assistants. The dumplings were steaming on display on one of the buffet tables; various baked and fried sweets were stacked in stained glass bowls, with sizzling plates of fresh meat thickly covered in spices filling the air around the food. Kara's eyes went wide at the sheer amount of food that would be eaten tonight.

The massive stained crystal and platinum doors swung open and the Canticle of Nightwing began to play as the party goers entered the hall. Don-El and Kara hurriedly filled their plates and made their escape before the mass of people descended upon the feast.

The two giggled at each other's stuffed faces and hunkered down in an alcove along the far wall observing the endless stream of dignitaries, military officials, and socialites pouring into the hall.

The House of Ze was providing private security for the feast tonight, their deep blue uniforms blending in inconspicuously with the walls of the hall. Kara was a little surprised at the amount of security present. They never had so many in the past. Kara recognized a few of the guards; they would be under her command some day, so a few of the more promising younger guards had been introduced to her privately.

Her eyes met the intense gray gaze of Jaq-Van, who was watching her and Don-El eat from the his post on the far wall. Kara smiled at the older boy; Aunt Lara's nephew was never far from her side since his parents frequently were on tours of duty. Jaq-Van broke eye contact first, scanning the room for trouble. Kara furrowed her eyebrows in confusion at Jaq-Van's intense stare. She was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her cousin's voice.

"There you two are!" Kru-El said, plucking one of Don-El's dumplings from his plate and popping it into his own mouth with an 'hmm' in satisfaction. Don-El pouted. Kara instinctively pulled her plate closer, taking the dull silverware as a weapon to protect her food.

"Easy Kar, I'm not after your food. Find me when you're done eating, you're expected to dance tonight as the Heir of the House of El." Kara scrunched up her face in dislike at the notion of dancing with any of the puffed up children or young aides of any of the dignitaries. Maybe she would dance with Thara or Dru-Ton if she absolutely had to; all of the vassal houses had brought their children this year. Kara shoved a large piece of spiced meat into her mouth and chewed rapidly. _Rao this is so good. I haven't had meat like this is months._

Kru-El smiled widely at her and offered the two the sweetwater that was being passed around from one of the nearby catering staff. Kara and Don-El eagerly accepted the rare drink. It was difficult to brew and hard to come by.

"Easy now, it's very sweet, don't hurt your stomach before dessert," Kru-El joked as Kara gulped the liquid down. Kru-El patted Don-El on the head and stood up to leave, his formal robe swishing gracefully as he stood.

"I'll leave you two to your meal, come find me soon Kara." With that Kru-El slipped back into the crowd. The dances had already begun and bright colours of visiting ambassadors and politicians from other worlds stood out against the deep ancestral colors and patterns of the gathered upper class Kryptonians. The music was fast and upbeat, but soon Don-El drifted off to sleep in Kara's lap.

Kara waved over at her Uncle Nim-El to come retrieve his son. Nim-El was flushed with drink as he swept Kara up into an affectionate hug before taking his son.

"Thank you, Ella for entertaining your cousin this evening. Jor-El had me reviewing some of our findings well into the afternoon, I barely had time to change to get here." Kara smiled.

"Anyway, you need to go find Kru-El before he has an anxiety attack, apparently you have several people you need to dance with tonight. I think a few of them might be suitors." Nim-El winked, then laughed at Kara's grossed out face. Kara hastily walked away before her Uncle could embarrass her more.

The music was one of her favorite traditional songs for the season and she swayed slightly, searching for Kru-El in the mass of swirling people. Finally she caught a glimpse of the deep red of Kru-El's robes and gracefully weaved her way through the dance floor towards him. He was dancing with some Rykonian and charming them into some trade agreement when Kara appeared.

"Mind if I cut in?" Kara didn't really wait for a response as she swung her cousin's arm towards her to the beat of the music, and with a laugh they were twirling away. Kru-El smiled at her as the music picked up. Kara lead him through the steps, gracefully swinging the two of them in perfect symmetry.

"You can't distract me with dancing, Ella. Now I have a list of people I need to introduce to you, what's wrong, Kara?" The music had slowed and then transitioned to a more formal dance that allowed them to talk to each other easily. Kara's face had turned a little green.

"Cousin, are you well?" Kru-El asked with a strange voice. Kara nodded as her face drained of color and she grabbed her stomach.

"I...I think I ate too much," Kara said, a cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. Kru-El touched her forehead for a moment, then led her off the dance floor. Kara's eyes unfocused for a moment as she struggled not to faint. She locked eyes with Jaq-Van who was speaking rapidly into his communicator and quickly appeared at her side. Kru-El addressed Jaq-Van with a pompous tone.

"Ah, Jaq-Van. Perfect timing. Kara is feeling unwell. Please escort her back to her chambers for the night, I need to close an important trade agreement with the dignitaries from Rykon." Kru-El pointed to an impatient looking woman and her aides in the corner waiting to be taken into one of the antechambers.

Jaq-Van huffed and stooped a little to support Kara's weight.

"Of course, come on Ella, you'll feel better once you get to your chamber and have one of your attendants bring up some medicine."

It was only a short trek to the family wing, with Jaq-Van's long strides taking them quickly away from prying eyes. Kara relished the contact. Jaq-Van was a fairly stoic, so the uncharacteristic display of concern pleased Kara.

"Here you go, I'll be back as soon as I can with a cool cloth and some medicine. Just rest." Jaq-Van propped her up on her pillows and dimmed the lights. Kara watched him go with blurry eyes. Her head was pounding and her stomach was barely holding on to her dinner. Kara was well trained to conserve meals even when she felt sick. She dozed for a moment, trying to relax to the calming scent of her bedroom.

She snapped back into awareness as Kru-El entered her chambers without a sound. His face was clear of any emotion as he walked forward.

"Kru-El, I'm sorry I ruined the evening. Did you finish that me…" Kara gasped as a blade appeared in her cousin's hand and he drove the sharp blade deep into the unarmored section of her uniform. Kara struggled to regain her breath. The blade slid deeper as she struggled to clasp for something under her pillow. Kru-El's face never changed from its apathetic state as blood poured out of Kara's wound, soaking the bed.

"Be a good El, and die for the cause, cousin," Kru-El murmured as Kara's vision tunneled in on his face; her hands fell limply to her sides.

"Why?" she barely gasped.

"Like dear Ter-El, you are in the way, cousin. The House of El will flourish under my rule, and then Krypton will follow. It's better this way, Ella. Let go, cousin. Rest with the knowle-" Whatever Kru-El was going to say was cut off by a glowing blade slamming through his shoulder.

Kara's hand curled around her spy beacon and she smiled at her Aunt's familiar face as everything faded to black.

* * *

Kara jackknifed upright in bed with a loud gasp. "No!"

Alex dove for the firearm on the bedside table beside her, before she realized the source of the commotion.

"Kara? Kara are you okay?" Alex scrambled back into bed and tugged Kara into a tight hug, the first rays of morning light peeking through the curtains.

"It was just a dream. He's dead. It's over," Kara recited to herself. Alex gently pulled Kara's hair back from her face to meet her eyes.

"Do you want to talk about it, Kar?" Kara stiffened in her arms and then shuddered.

"It was a memory of sorts, of me back on Krypton. I haven't thought about Kru-El in years." Alex's hand drifted lower to cover the scar on Kara's abdomen.

"Astra killed him right?" Alex murmured in question. Kara had revealed almost everything she could think of to Alex about Krypton years ago.

"I think so. I spent a long time in the regeneration tank. By the time I woke up my Great Aunt was dead and no one would talk to me about it. I still can't believe it sometimes... How much Kal looks like Kru-El. He was my favorite cousin you know?"

"I know. But he's gone now, Kara. He can't hurt you anymore."

"It still hurts."

"Would some breakfast help?"

"Triple stack pancakes with chocolate chips?" Kara asked, her voice small. Alex's eyes shined with affection.

"And whip cream on top." Alex pressed a gentle kiss to Kara's smile and glanced over her shoulder as she walked away to the bathroom.

"Rao.." Kara said as she watched Alex go, before hurrying after her.

The two quickly loaded up Alex's SUV with some supplies, including their suits, food, and overnight bags. After a pit stop at the IHOP, where Kara ate a stack of 15 pancakes, in short order they were off to find adventure.

By the time they got on the road, Kara's wounds had vanished. The clear sky beaming above them.

"We haven't been to the beach in ages! I miss it," Kara said excitedly. Alex smiled over at her from the driver's seat and took one of Kara's flailing hands.

"Me too. Work's been so busy lately, we haven't had the chance. We should do this more often. Remember how we used to say we would live on the beach again one day?"

Kara grinned wide and bright. "Yeah! The commute to the city would be terrible though. A beach house would be amazing."

Alex chuckled. "One day, Kar. You could put your architecture obsession to good use and build us one."

Kara lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh! I can do that! I just need to finish my electrician and plumber certs and I can draw up some plans. All we need is the land."

"I'll look into it if it's something you really want. We can use Danvers Solutions as the contractor."

"Epic, let's do it."

"Your wish is my command. This looks like a good spot," Alex said, pulling the SUV next to a rock outcropping a few hundred yards back from the shoreline. Kara wiggled in her seat excitedly. Alex swiftly parked and cut the engine. Kara had already disappeared.

"Kara?" There was a whoosh behind her; Alex whirled around and was met with a sweet kiss. Alex relaxed into the embrace, enjoying Kara's body pressed against her. Alex's back hit the closed driver's door as she tucked her cold hands into the back pockets of Kara's jeans.

"Rosh'em, Aly," Kara whispered when they parted.

"Hi to you too. You wanna stand here and cuddle or get this show on the road?" Alex clicked a button on her car keys and the black SUV disappeared. Alex grinned up at Kara's widened eyes.

"Stealth mode," she said with a wink before pulling on her backpack. Kara touched the area where the car had been and smiled as her hands found the cool metal.

"Awesome. I love science. You ready, Alex?" Kara asked, looking back at her love. The sunlight caught Alex's hair just right, lighting up her hair in shades of red and brown. Kara wished she had her paints with her.

"What?" Alex laughed and tossed Kara her own backpack, which she quickly opened, and with a twirl appeared fully dressed in her new supersuit.

Kara adjusted her new cape, flushing at Alex's teasing tone. "Nothing, you just. You look beautiful in the sunlight."

Alex's eyes softened as she reentered Kara's personal space.

"I love you, Kara Zor-El."

Kara kissed her again and wrapped her arms around Alex snugly. They slowly twirled up off the ground, embracing in the sunlight.

"Love you too, hold on tight." Alex totally didn't squeal out loud when Kara dove them until they flew only a few feet above the water line. Alex reached out and laughed as she dragged her good hand in the water. Kara did a few loops and twirls for Alex's pleasure before speeding up.

"Hold on tight." Kara laughed into Alex's ear. Alex braced herself tightly to Kara's body, enjoying Kara's strong arms around her as they picked up speed. Alex couldn't stop the exhilarated giggle that escaped her lips as the wind rushed past her ears.

Kara could technically fly faster than the speed of sound if she put her mind to it, but she was careful to stick to more human-safe speeds to get them to their location. Miles and miles of deep blue water stretched out before them, the rising sun glinting off of the soft ocean spray as the two sped along. Kara grinned and decelerated slowly, then enjoyed Alex yelping in her ear when they dropped suddenly to hover over the calm sea.

"We're here, Alex!"

Alex untucked her head to take in the scenery. They were surrounded by ocean on all sides. _Just you and me_.

"This where you want it, love?" Alex asked, allowing Kara to rustle through her backpack for the container holding the sunstone.

"Yeah, we're far enough into international waters now. You ready for this?"

"Go ahead, Kara. Let's see if all that hard work paid off, yeah?" With that Kara stole a sweet kiss and then dropped the glowing sunstone into the sea.

All was quiet for a few minutes. Then bubbles began to form in the water below their feet. The ocean rumbled and churned, forming waves that lapped at their boots before calming. Alex peered at the water below them.

"Did it work?"

Kara looked enraptured. "Yeah," she replied, "It worked."

Before Alex could say anything more, the two were enveloped in a bright blue light and everything faded from view.

The light faded a moment later. Kara kept her eyes closed as she took a moment to inhale, then exhale. Alex was still clutched to Kara's side, balancing on the brand new groove of her bright red boot. Kara didn't struggle as Alex gently pulled away, landing near soundlessly beside her. Alex's bag hit the ground with a thud, Kara still didn't open her eyes.

"Greetings Kara Zor-El and Lady Kara's bondmate, welcome to Sanctuary." Kara inhaled sharply, recognizing the voice and the Kryptonese. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Alex stood still next to her, their hands laced together as she took in their surroundings.

"Greetings," Alex called out in Kryptonese, looking around for the source of the voice. The room they were in was enclosed in smooth deep green walls with a dull blue light glowing between the circuit-like cracks in the walls. They were standing on a spongy circle on the floor that pulsed beneath their feet.

Nearly thirty feet in front of them was a blast door composed of light grey metal. It separated the antechamber from the rest of the Sanctuary, the House of El crest prominently displayed in its center. Two humanoid robots also bearing the El crest and sheathed blades stood at attention at either side of the blast door.

Alex took a step forward, then reeled back into Kara's chest when the two robots turned in unison toward her.

"Zelex, be nice to my...Alex." Kara flushed at her near misstep. _She's not your bondmate_.

"Hello Zelex, my name is Alexandra Danvers. May we come inside?" Zelex didn't answer, but the doors opened anyway. Kara laced their fingers together and tugged Alex forward. The robots saluted with their swords as they passed into the main hall.

Kara felt her eyes water at the familiar architecture. The swooping ceiling rose several stories with a criss cross of sturdy crystalline support struts at even intervals. At the end of the massive hall stood her parents' statues carved in a marbled stone - jade in color with shots of cool blue throughout. Her parents stood tall, each with an arm aloft holding a slowly rotating metallic spherical representation of Krypton.

 _Hello Mother, Hello Father_.

Kara squeezed Alex's hand gently, then stopped dead center in front of her parents' unmoving forms.

They were quiet for a while.

There was a subtle hum in the whole Sanctuary, like a fan circulating in the distance providing white noise. Kara let out a shuddering sigh and pulled Alex in for a hug. Alex pecked a kiss into the crook of Kara's neck, allowing her to press Alex tightly to her chest.

"They would have been proud of you, Kara," Alex said with certainty, her eyes trained on the the statues.

"I hope so."

"Lady Kara, would you like a tour?" Zelex interrupted. Kara and Alex turned around to see a Kryptonian protocol droid waiting patiently behind them.

"Yes, please, Zelex. Show us the facility," Kara answered, following the droid up the sweeping stairs leading to a landing about eye level with her parents' gigantic statues. Alex's hand laced with her own.

"This way is the main corridor from the central hall. This corridor can lead you to the family residential wing, the Vault of Rao, or the work areas. Which would you like to see first?" Zelex asked, gesturing to the left and right where the main corridor became a T intersection in front of an elevator.

Alex squeezed her hand in reassurance.

"What's in the Vault?" Kara asked after a moment. The droid nodded and called for the elevator. The elevator swooped open only a moment later, and the three stepped inside. Smooth music began to play.

"The elevator is keyed into your biorhythms, you will have to add anyone you wish to allow access to the Vault into the security system. This elevator is one of the only ways into the Vault."

Alex really should have been paying attention, but she was too distracted by the strange bell like sounds that passed for Kryptonian elevator music.

"Sub-Level 2, the Vault," Zelex informed them as the elevator came to a stop; the doors opened to reveal a strange menagerie. On either side of the main room were huge windows separating alien creatures in their natural habitats from the rest of the facility. Each bay was labeled with a glowing tag detailing both the species within and their homeworld.

Alex glanced at a few of the tags as they walked by; many of them were native Kryptonian species, but others, simply native to the Rao system. _Incredible_ , Alex thought.

Kara felt her heart beating fast as they went deeper into the Vault. Hundreds of thousands of species she thought long dead slept, preserved by time and space under her protection. _The last of us_ , she thought, _all of us_.

The Zelex droid finally stopped in front of a crystal information HUB that was scrolling through the wide variety of species available for study. Just in front of the HUB was an alcove with a slightly raised dais inside it. On top of the dias was a glass coffin of sorts, a creature curled up inside.

"Is that a...dog?" Alex asked, peering into the glass. Kara squealed and excitedly pressed a few floating keys to free the creature.

"Lady Alura was insistent that I maintain this **funling** personally," the Zelex unit informed them, an air of amusement coloring his robotic tone.

The glass hissed as it opened, releasing a mist and obscuring the creature completely. Kara reached down and gently picked up the puppy. With a big puppy yawn, the white furred creature began to yip and lick Kara's face. Alex's heart melted at the adorable sight.

"I asked and asked my parents for a funling for years. They said no since pets were an unnecessary strain on resources, and at the time there were some pretty intense food riots going on, so I get it. But at the time, I thought they were being incredibly unfair," Kara explained, handing the puppy to Alex to hold so she could look at him more closely.

"Amazing, he looks pretty similar to an Earth canine. How big is he going to get? I'm not sure your apartment allows pets," Alex commented, petting the puppy's soft fur.

"He's an Argonian Bloodhound, we used to breed them to guard things like protected nature preserves or as personal security dogs. He'll probably grow to be around the size of a Great Dane. Lottie loves me, Alex, I'm sure I could convince her to let me keep him. Isn't that right… Krypto?" Kara scratched the puppy behind the ears then placed him on the ground. He immediately began to attack Alex's shoe laces.

"He's cute I'll give him that. So what is this place, Zelex?" Alex asked the droid next to her.

"The Vault is dedicated to the preservation of natural species found in the Rao system, everything from torquats to dramonicus to h'raka are all preserved here to prevent the complete extinction of the species. Both Flora and Fauna are kept here. A complete list of species can be accessed through this terminal," Zelex explained.

Kara breathed deeply, holding back her emotions. She was really tired of crying. With a _bork bork,_ Krypto launched himself in the air to attack Kara's face with kisses. Kara laughed in surprise before snagging the wriggling puppy out of the air.

"What's next?" Kara asked Alex.

"I would like to see the work rooms, but maybe later. I'd probably never want to leave them and I really want to see the Family Wing."

"The Family Wing then, Lady Kara? I've already brought you and your bondmate's bags to the master bedroom."

Alex turned and opened her mouth to correct the protocol droid, but saw the look in Kara's eyes and shut her mouth.

"Is there any food here? Kara's looking a little peckish," Alex asked Zelex as it led them down another wing. Alex noted as many key features as she could to try and remember her way around. Occasionally there would be an interesting metal sculpture of Kryptonian beasts and deities or hanging tapestries depicting the House of El and Ze coat of arms.

The corridor opened up into a hall decorated tastefully with asymmetrical couches and low dark metal tables. A series of portraits lined the walls, of the past Heads of the House of El on one side and the same for the House of Ze on the other. Vases of cool glass and gold held strange blooming flowers, and from the ceiling low hanging orbs of glass glowed faintly with pale blue light.

Kara paused in front of the portrait of Astra and felt the deep tug of longing. _May Rao guide her back to me_ , Kara thought, following Zelex and Alex to the end of large room into what was clearly a dining area. The high backed chairs were cushioned with deep red fabric to match the tapestries of the room; the sturdy dining table could easily fit up to 16 people. Zelex waved them into the side door which revealed a massive cooking area. Near one of the open flame cooking stations stood another Zelex unit stirring a pot.

"Ganzaga Gronya stew is almost ready, Lady Kara. The Gorvan bread rolls are rising in the oven. I will serve you momentarily," the Zelex unit stirring the pot informed them.

Zelex 1 ushered them to sit at the bar, serving them cold tea with flavored ice. Kara gaped at the stew served into a ceramic bowl in front of her, and then at the bread platter placed between her and Alex. The Zelex units busied themselves in cleaning the cooking area as Kara took a shaky bite.

Alex watched her reaction closely.

Kara's eyes watered at the spicy flavor and texture of the meats and vegetables mixed inside. She tore off a piece of one of the perfectly baked orange Gorvan rolls and carefully dipped it into her stew. She chewed, savoring the combination of savory bread and the variety of spices in the stew. Kara groaned in pleasure, washing it down with the sweet flavored tea.

Alex smiled and silently pulled her phone out of her pocket to take a picture of the sheer happiness on Kara's face. She snapped a picture of the food in front of her in case Kara wanted to post it on Instagram later. Alex let Kara have this moment alone. She had tried in the past to find or cook a stew like Ganzaga Gronya, but could never get the combination of flavors or the texture right.

She went through a phase in high school when she would try to make as many meals as close to Kryptonian foods as she could. Kara had loved it. And Alex loved making Kara happy. Eventually, Alex had left for college, and had then gotten busy with work, so her cooking fell to the wayside. But now watching Kara struggle not to cry as Zelex served her another bowl of stew renewed that desire to cook for Kara.

"Is it not to your liking Alexandra?" Zelex 2 asked gently, cocking its head to the side like a puppy.

Alex smiled at the droid and dipped her spoon into the cooling stew, bracing herself for the heat and spice. Alex chewed slowly, taking in the flavor of the Ganzaga meat, eyes watering at the spiciness of the Gronya mushrooms sliced inside. It was delicious. Alex took a piece of bread and copied Kara.

"It's delicious Zelex, thank you," Alex answered finally, smiling affectionately at Kara who was on her third bowl.

"You're quite welcome, Alexandra." Zelex 2 replied, setting down the second tray of bread and clearing away stray crumbs before Krypto could eat them off the floor. Kara hadn't stopped trilling in pleasure since she'd taken her first bite, and was wiggling in her seat. Krypto yipped and copied the movement from where he was dragging his butt on the floor.

Alex finished her bowl and glass of tea as Kara began to slow down after her third bowl. Alex gently wiped the small outline of stew from Kara's mouth and noticed her frown.

"What's wrong, Kara?"

Kara dragged her spoon through the dregs of her soup, looking suddenly despondent.

"Nothing. I just...this used to be my favorite meal when I came back from the Academy for break. I never really got to enjoy the flavors because I was usually so hungry I barely tasted it."

* * *

 _Argo City Military Academy, Krypton, Rao System, 5 years prior to K-Day_

"Again!" the instructor called. Kara's arms wobbled as she and the thirty-nine other cadets in the training room stepped in unison through the third form of Klukor. The third form was a difficult series of steps with lethal punches mixed with sweeping kicks that were supposed to knock imaginary opponents off their feet. Someone lost their footing behind her and crashed to the hard ground, their heavy training suit scraping loudly against the hard stone.

Immediately a group of instructors descended upon the unfortunate cadet behind her, as the rest of the training class continued to step through their form. The instructors were screaming loudly, nearly breaking Kara's concentration as she completed a particularly challenging sequence. The swarm of angry shouting broke apart as the lead instructor barked, "Cadet Syra Lan-Gor, ration restriction!"

Kara fought to keep her face blank. Inwardly she cringed in pity at her pretty roommate's misfortune. Ration reduction was the worst punishment in the Academy. And their training class had a practical exercise tomorrow. Kara's own stomach growled, their whole block was on ration reduction right now; Kara never felt hunger like she did when she started at the Academy.

With a yell the class finished their form in tandem and held their final position. The instructors prowled between their even lines, occasionally stopping to shout at an unflinching cadet who drew their ire.

"Training Class Red! Get out of my sight, Dismissed!" The lead instructor was a burly man with a booming voice, 'affectionately' known as Boomer to the cadets. He was as mean as he was efficient, turning out child soldiers ready for combat in five years or less.

Kara scrambled to take her place in formation as they marched to their dormitory for sanitization then sleep; the next morning they would have their practical. Kara straightened her back as she marched in step, resisting the urge to look right where Syra Lan-Gor walked beside her. As soon as their dormitory door slammed, then locked shut for the night, the children gathered around Kara's bed as they did every night.

"So what's the plan, Princess?" one of her roommates, Asha, asked. Kara scowled at the nickname and swiped at the girl. Kara was currently the only cadet in their training class that hailed from a Great House. That, along with her military guild connections, bred deep running resentment from the poorer cadets who grew up knowing Hunger and Thirst. Kara was vastly underprepared for that aspect of training.

Despite the deeply held resentment against her, the forty odd cadets in her class had come to rely on her instinctively to guide them. An inbred feature for lower castes to look up to Great Houses. Kara thought for a moment, trying to focus on something other than how hungry she was right now.

"They already told us we would be heading to our exercise in the morning without a first meal. That can really only mean one thing."

"What?" whispered another girl, clearly frightened. Kara didn't think she would last much longer in the program. Especially not with the overabundance of aggressive cadets in their training class.

"The prize for the exercise will be a full ration or maybe even an actual cooked meal. Why else would they starve us for so long?" Kara answered as she cleaned some of the blood that had stained her armor off with a towel. The assembled cadets immediately broke out into barely contained whispers. They were all hungry.

"Try and sleep, hopefully if we do well they'll take us off of ration reduction." Kara stowed her suit and laid on her bunk, grateful that they had passed through the sanitization lasers today. As one by one the various cadets found their own bunks, only Syra remained near Kara's bed.

"What?" Kara asked. Syra's hair had to be rebraided after her poor showing during combat drills today. Her black eye was starting to swell, and she looked miserable.

"Kara, can I stay with you tonight? Please?" It wasn't uncommon for cadets to share bunks when they needed comfort, but the punishment from the trainers if they were found was severe. Kara considered it; she really needed to keep a clean record to get the assignment her house wanted. Getting in trouble at the Academy could ruin her chances, if not her family reputation. Her mother and Aunt had both graduated from the Argo City Academy with distinction. It would be an embarrassment if she graduated anything less than as top of her class. A girl of her breeding and pedigree, the training here was supposed to be a formality.

Still Kara felt her chest squeeze in pity at her friends pained face. She liked Syra and hoped that she would eventually have enough sway to get Syra a preferential assignment into her division after they graduated. _Building allies is important,_ Kara thought as she lifted her blanket to allow Syra to crawl in. The other girl scrambled in quickly and fell asleep in seconds, exhausted from the week's worth of slow starvation. Kara followed her into dreams soon after, dreaming of the next time she would get to see her parents on break. Maybe her father would take her to Starkhaven like he promised.

The next morning Kara was shaken awake by Thara, who signaled her to be quiet as an instructor stomped past outside, clearly getting ready to wake them for their first exercise. Kara mouthed, _thanks_ to Thara, who she was grateful for everyday. Thara Ak-Var was literally born to assist Kara, her family one of the four vassal houses sworn to the House of El. Each of the four vassals had produced a child within the same year cycle as Kara to act as aides and built in friends when they grew older. Thara was the only one to follow Kara to military school.

Kara lifted Syra into her bunk, conveniently to the bed directly beside her own, then dived under her covers just in time for the door to open and the whistle to blast to wake everyone up. Kara dressed quickly, putting on her armor with record speed. They were formed up and ready to go in less than a minute, but the instructors were still shouting as loud as possible for them to move faster.

"To the Arena. March!" Boomer called. Kara felt the dread building. Arena exercises were by far the worst because there was always fighting involved. The locker room adjacent to the Arena was stocked with live Solenium blades. Kara swallowed down her fear. Boomer's voice rang out with their instructions.

"Today's exercise will challenge your endurance and overall mental fortitude. You will each enter the arena with a live blade. Last person standing will receive a full cooked meal and two full water rations. Those of you who fall to the Arena obstacles, are knocked unconscious, or receive a severe wound will be placed on ration restriction with Syra Lan-Gor." He paused for a moment to find Syra's eyes in the crowd of cadets.

"Cadet, this is your only chance to get off of ration restriction. There will also be a number of visiting military members here to evaluate you all, in case you need added incentive."

Syra straightened up, her hands tightening around the handle of her blade. Syra's father Lan-Gor was a well known military man, and his daughter's current performance at the academy was something of an embarrassment to him. Kara attempted to smile encouragingly at her from behind Boomer's back. She hoped none of her family had decided to come watch the exam.

"Alright, helmets on. Find your launch platform. Move it!" Kara risked grabbing Syra's hand as she passed her on the way to her specific launch platform. She pulled her close for just a moment and squeezed her hand.

"Fight, Syra. You can do this. I believe in you." Kara would hug her but there was no time, and she had barely a second to get on the platform before all of their boots were locked into place. They slowly rose from the launch platforms into the arena above. Kara signaled good luck to Thara and breathed out deeply to calm her nerves.

Kara was nearly blinded by the bright Arena lights and was surprised at the amount of people in the stands. It wasn't just military officials, but plenty of politicians and representatives from each guild. Kara's heart sank when she recognized the familiar silver and gold cloaked figures in the stand directly opposite of her. Her Aunt and Grandmother Ara-Ze sat shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the upper cadre of military officials. Out of the corner of her eye she was even more surprised to see her Uncle Jor-El and her Aunt Lara Lor-Van seated with the representatives, two younger boys one in a enlisted uniform the other in fine clothing of a politician stood next to her Aunt Lara watching the proceedings. Kara recognized her cousin Kru-El in the nice clothing, but didn't know who the young soldier was. A quick scan through the stands confirmed neither of her parents were present.

"Prepare to launch. Cadets at the ready." An AI counted down through the loudspeaker above. Kara's sword activated in sync with every other cadet. She took a ready stance and glanced around for her first target as the countdown began. Her eyes locked with Asha, whose eyes cut right to where her Aunt and Grandmother were standing. Asha smirked and made a come on gesture, a direct challenge.

"Fight!" The AI droned above. The crowd roared. Immediately their platforms began to shake as obstacles began to rise from the ground of the field.

Kara sprang forward onto a thin platform near her, it was slick with some kind of chemical. Kara ducked as a glowing yellow blade passed above her helmeted head. Using the momentum of the fall with the slick surface, Kara sent a ruthless kick to the back of the offending cadet's knee. He gasped as Kara ripped her foot back and smashed it into his helmet, sending him careening off the platform and dropping 30 feet to the hard field below. The thud sounded crunchy. The crowd oohed.

"Cadet Kas-To, eliminated. Point, Cadet Kara Zor-El. T-00:30 seconds." Kara scrambled to find purchase as the platform began to shift to try and shake her off. She jumped to the next empty moving platform that was shaking violently. She took a moment to survey the battle as she rode the platform to the other side of the arena. The black and red uniforms of the cadet class stood out against the pristine white platforms. The sounds of blades and shouts rang out.

Kara raced forward, tucking and rolling to land on the next platform where three cadets were duking it out. Her blade held no mercy as she rolled with her momentum, swinging low at their legs where their armor didn't cover. Blood splashed against her helmet as she jumped to the small stepping stones hovering to her right. She left the three rolling behind her, frantically looking for Syra. _If she can keep them off of her friend long enough, she can concede the match to Syra, so she wouldn't starve on her watch._

"Cadets Ev-Tan, Hi- Mar, and Tyr Ja-Dor, eliminated. Three Points, Cadet Kara Zor-El. T-2:03 seconds."

Kara danced across the platforms, leaving a bloody trail in her wake as she slashed and pushed her way towards Syra. The other girl had managed to score three points but was currently dangling off of a platform with Asha closing in.

Kara sprinted and jumped, tackling Asha's tall form to the floor. The two rolled precariously close to the edge. Asha reared her head back and slammed their helmets together, sending Kara reeling. Asha's plated fist caught the chin of her helmet.

"No Ak-Var to save you now, Princess! Hope you enjoy ration restriction with your girlfriend!"

Kara felt herself fall backwards, her head and part of her shoulders over the edge. Gasping, Kara caught the incoming elbow and used both her feet to push up against Asha's stomach. Taking advantage of Asha's forward momentum, she swung her feet towards her face, sending Asha face first over the ledge.

Asha's yell as she fell was satisfying. Kara trembled, locked in a scorpion position using all of upper body strength and core to stabilize herself on to the platform.

"Cadet Asha Del-Nar eliminated. Point Cadet Kara Zor-El. T-12:32."

Breathing heavy with exertion, Kara righted herself and quickly found her footing, Syra was still dangling off the ledge with her sword skewered into the stomach of another cadet. Kara sidestepped the blood and grasped Syra's forearm to lift her up. The crowd began to murmur in confusion.

Kara felt the sweat drip down her face inside her helmet as she heaved Syra to solid ground. She grasped her knees, catching her breath as Syra found her footing. Kara couldn't see her face. Syra's hand reached to the side without moving her head, her hand clutched at the handle of her blade still stuck in a cadet's stomach. It made a terrible squelching sound when she pulled it free.

"Only three others left Syra, let's go!" Kara called out to her leaping on to the next platform. Syra kept pace easily.

"Harasha Dan?" Syra called as they approached two fighting cadets, the third was trapped in an arena obstacle.

"You got it." The twin fighting style was rarely used since it required two people completely in sync with each other to correctly execute. Syra and Thara both partnered well with Kara in the doubles matches where they needed to use the style to gain an edge.

In sync their blades flourished as they jumped from the higher platform they had been standing on to the occupied duo below. Kara sliced low and Syra sliced high in perfect parallel, sending the other two cadets wildly off balance to avoid the blades. Kara and Syra stepped in unison back to back, their blades sending sparks in the air as they smashed against plate armor.

Kara caught a fist heading for her stomach and leveraged the offending cadet into an arm lock, sending them sprawling to the ground. They grappled for a minute until they heard a scream from their right. Kara paused, her fist hovering over the other cadet's face; they both turned their heads to see Syra standing over her opponent. Blood ran down the platform from where Syra had caught the gap in her opponent's armor at the neck with her blade.

"Cadet Ron-Di eliminated. Point Cadet Syra Lan-Gor. T-17:56."

Kara wheezed when she was sucker punched in the solar plexus from the cadet she had been grappling with. Kara quickly wrestled for control, and their blades clattered to the ground as they struggled. She rolled to avoid another blow, knocking into the fallen blades and sending them sliding across the platform out of reach to where Syra stood still over the prone form of Ron-Di.

Kara spit blood, trying to catch her breath and reared back, taking her opponent with her and swinging him completely over the edge of the platform. He managed to right himself at the last moment by grabbing Kara's shoulder piece. Kara gasped in surprise as she lost her footing and fell. The two tumbled over the edge. The other cadet screamed as he fell to the hard floor below, making a terrible crunching noise as bones shattered.

Kara held onto the edge of the now rotating platform with one hand. She swung her arm up to try and grasp the edge, when a shadow blocked the stadium lights. Kara felt a drip of something wet hit her face, then another. She looked up into the helmeted face of Syra; blood was splattered grotesquely across her armor.

"Kara," Syra gasped. Kara attempted to heave herself up with one hand.

"Syra, help me up already," Kara plead, her other arm pinwheeling uselessly in the air.

Syra looked down at her and Kara realized that Syra was crying. Syra kneeled near the edge and used one hand to cup Kara's face. Kara attempted to grab Syra's hand but couldn't find the momentum. Syra traced Kara's bruised faced before pressing a kiss to Kara's forehead.

"I'm sorry."

Kara barely registered the blow that sent her careening to the unforgiving floor below. The pain was mostly in her chest anyway.

The last thing Kara heard before the pain took her was the stadium announcer bellowing in her ear.

"Cadet Kara Zor-El eliminated. Winner Cadet Syra Lan-Gor. T-19:45."

"This is your fault Jor-El, the House of El has been coddling her too much. Too much time in the lab, not enough time training. Falling to a lowborn, disgraceful."

"Lady Ze, please. Kara performed admirably, she scored the most points out of any cadet. And she's at the top of her class."

"Of course she is, she's a daughter of Mordo. She's battleborn just like her mother before her, just like me, and my mother before me. Astra, see to it she understands that she needs to put that little upstart in her place. I have a meeting with the military council in an hour."

"Of course, mother. Ah, Rena, you came." There were shuffling sounds outside the door as the voices lowered.

The steady drip of the regen chamber brought Kara to consciousness. A shadow hovered above her, a hand outstretched far too close for comfort. Kara snapped her arm out and caught the hand, twisting it sharply. The shadow yelped.

"Kara! Cousin it's me!" The voice whispered in a sotto voce. Kara blinked as the inky black hair and bright blue eyes of her cousin Kru-El came into focus.

"Kru-El?" Kara released his hand and slumped back deeper into the regeneration tank. Kru-El shook his hand out, wincing, but smiled down at her all teeth.

"Took quite a fall cousin. How do you feel?" Kru-El asked, his voice low and teasing.

"Hurts," Kara murmured half-heartedly. Kru-El propped himself up on the edge of the tank by his elbows.

"You did really well out there, you broke both academy records for most number of points and fastest knock out. You should have heard the comments in the stands, they say you're the second coming of Zod himself."

Kara scoffed at the exaggeration.

"What were you doing with Major Lan-Gor's daughter? Alliance gone wrong?" Kru-El asked, poking a nasty bruise still healing on her collarbone. Kara swatted his hand away with a giggle.

"No, we're friends. She just surprised me is all." Kara smiled up at him, relieved that he wasn't mad. Kru-El never cared about military issues beyond what was needed for his job as their Aunt's political aide.

"Well, you surprised everyone else too. I've never seen the Supreme so mad." Kru-El's voice changed to a gossipy tone as he rooted around in his bag for something. Kara winced.

"Grandmother looked angry?" she asked. Kru-El looked up, holding one of Kara's favorite snacks in his hand.

"Well probably not to most people, but I'm around her enough during council that I can tell she was annoyed. You think she bet on you winning?" Kru-El poked her again, then handed Kara the snack bar. Kara tore into it with relish, an excited squeal leaving her before she could suppress it.

"Why were you all here anyway?" Kru-El's eyes flashed with some unknown emotion, before settling with a sad tilt of the head.

"Kru?" Kara asked, her tone soft. Kru-El's mouth twitched as if he was holding back a smile or grimace, Kara wasn't sure. He leaned over to whisper in her ear quietly.

"Ter-El died in a lab accident last night, cousin Jor-El has come to collect you." He pulled back and schooled his expression as the private infirmary door opened.

* * *

"I know we come from vastly different cultures, but I'll never understand Krypton's child soldier program," Alex said passionately.

Kara glanced at Alex's indignant expression. _I love you_. Kara didn't hesitate to close the gap, smiling at the lingering taste of Kryptonian spices on Alex's lips. Alex moaned softly in appreciation.

"Lady Kara would you and your bondmate like to retire for an afternoon rest? I can take Krypto to the garden?" Zelex 1 asked when hands started to wander.

"Great idea, let's see the rest of the family wing," Kara agreed, sweeping Alex up into a bridal carry. Alex shrieked and half heartedly banged on Kara's chest with her good arm.

"Let me down, you goof!" Alex laughed. Kara just smiled mischievously, taking the stairs behind Zelex to the second floor that partially overlooked the living room.

"These are the family rooms; several bedrooms to accommodate future children and other family members, each with its own study and restroom. The playroom and nursery. The media room. Lady Kara's office. An office for your bondmate. The archive. An art studio for Lady Kara. And finally the Master Bedroom. I'll let you get acquainted with the living area, please call if you need anything." With that the Zelex unit left the stunned couple on the landing in front of the Master Bedroom.

"Right, uh. Here we go," Kara stuttered, still holding Alex in her arms as she crossed the threshold into the master bedroom.

On the far wall, separated by a thick wall of glass, was an impressive panoramic view of the ocean outside with schools of swarming fish and vibrant sea plants. Directly in front of the window was a massive bed, elegantly made and covered in soft pillows. There were dark wooden cabinets to hold clothing and knick knacks, as well as a vanity table to match the cabinets and dresser. Sliding wooden doors were open on either side of the room, showing the two walk in closets on the left and a massive bathroom on the right.

Kara gently deposited Alex onto the bed next to their bags. Kara followed her down until she kneeled on all fours over Alex, taking in her expression. Kara reached out with her hand to tuck a stray lock behind Alex's ear, revealing some stitches on the side of her head. Kara frowned.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked gently, trying to pull Kara closer. Kara didn't move from her hovering position over Alex.

"Alex, my _**Zhor chao Shesur**_. The one thing in my life I should protect the most, and I've put you in danger. You've nearly gotten yourself killed many times over because of my stupid mistakes. I..."

"Hey, Kara. Look at me. I protect you because I care, because I love you. Not because of any mistake you made or something like that. I chose this life. And everyday I choose to go out and put myself in danger to protect you. Just like you put on the cape for me."

"I don't, you can't..." Kara struggled to articulate what she wanted to say. Alex waited as patiently as she could.

"You can't what, Kar?"

"I can't see another person I love die because of me. It would break me, Alex. I don't know what to do without you."

Alex was silent while she tried to think of a good response.

"I don't know what I can say to make you feel better about this. Helping you, fighting for you is in my soul now. I can't stop this even if I wanted to."

"It just reminds me of my old squad sometimes… especially when you swoop in at the last minute to protect me. And look how they turned out. Syra…" Kara trailed off and her eyes glazed over.

* * *

 _Arkon, A Jungle World, Rao System, Two Years Prior to Krypton's Destruction_

Kara breathed evenly through her nose, the recycled air from her battle helmet sending cool bursts of adrenaline laced oxygen to her system with every furthering step. The radio chatter in her ear was indistinct to the thundering sounds of bombs being dropped behind her. The heat of this forsaken planet seeped under her armor and into her skin. The world was dark in shades of deep greens and yellows, the light of Rao's dim rays barely pierced the canopy of the looming trees above them.

 _Two more kilometers until the rendezvous point. Keep moving_.

Kara's Solenium blade remained retracted and mounted on her back as she raced toward her extraction point off of this miserable planet. Kara could hear the dull thuds of booted feet falling into step around her.

"Squad 4 sound off," she said as loudly as she dared, dodging a mass of vines that nearly whipped her off her feet. Kara could see heat signatures through the foliage ahead, her heads up display V.I. already identifying them as The Char hostiles. Kara quickly slid into cover behind a thick tree then launched herself up to the lowest branch, climbing to get a vantage point on the approaching enemies.

"Jaq-Van. Ready," a smooth older male voice reported in her ear. The older boy used his upper body strength to haul himself into the air and onto a branch nearby. His shield remained inert on his back, but his blade was already extended and poised for a downward strike at the slightest hint of movement. Kara signaled him with fast handsigns to wait.

"Thara. Ready," a more feminine voice whispered as a slim form landed smoothly on the branch Kara was currently occupying. The two friends exchanged bloody smiles. Thara's long distance rifle was slung over her back; she unsheathed a gleaming dagger and held it at the ready.

"Syra. Ready." Kara shivered slightly at Syra's sweet voice. Even after sharing a dorm room at the Argo Academy for four years, Syra's presence never failed to cause her heart to flutter. Her longtime roommate's hair was braided back, her helmet hiding her sweet face. The large gun-like weapon that she normally wielded with such deadly accuracy in battle was out, but the normally bright glow was dimmed and a bayonet was mounted at the ready instead.

"Kell-Ur. Ready," the last deeper voice murmured in her ear. Kell-Ur's tall form landed with a loud thud just below the branches where the rest of the squad was perched at the ready. His shield was active but his blade retracted. A bright smile stood out as he waited for the war cries to come upon his position.

"On my signal. Take them out quickly, extraction in less than ten minutes. Get ready to move." Kara waited, her hand wrapping around the handle of her blade, ready to draw at the moment The Char surrounded Kell-Ur. The shrill sound of The Char battle cry broke up the low thuds of bombs dropping in a distance.

"Go!" Kara shouted, jumping below onto the closest Char foot soldier, her gleaming blade extending mid swing, relieving the hostile alien of both of its heads. She wasted no time in jumping forward into the next attack, skewering it, then savagely pulling the blade free and catching the third alien in her deadly arc. The three bodies hit the loamy forest ground at the same time as the rest of their hunting party; the sounds of heavy breathing and grunts of pain quieted.

"Hostiles down," Jaq-Van reported next to her, his own blade retracting. The sharp scent of Char blood cause Syra and Kell-Ur to begin to gag behind her as she assessed the quickest way to get to the extraction point. She marked the extraction point for the squad, causing a waypoint to flare to life on their HUD next to the squad's vitals.

" **Idai,"** Thara addressed Kara without removing her long range scope from her eye. "The extraction point is crawling with hostiles, looks like they've got attack torquats with them. We need to find another way." They all shuddered visibly at the idea of having to fight the vicious creatures. The needle like fur, razor sharp fangs, and sheer size made them formidable opponents.

Kara considered her options. _Rao's Light_ , she cursed inwardly. She glanced down at her wrist where the information node was clamped tightly to her gauntlet. The data had to reach General Ze's flagship the _Might of Mordo_ as soon as possible; millions of Kryptonian lives depended on their squad delivering it intact. Arkon's ionosphere made remote data transfer at this range impossible.

Warning alarms began to go off on the HUDs. Syra pumped the gun in her hand in anticipation as the chilling howls of torquats filled the damp air. Kara could see the hostiles moving in around them on their map. She clutched her sword tightly and motioned for the squad to form up to make a run.

"There's no other option we fight or we die. Extraction is in 8 minutes and 1 kilometer out. Move as quickly as possible but no one gets left behind, understand?" The sounds of war cries and howls were closer now, Jaq-Van and Kell-Ur activated their Solenium blades and shields. The soft yellow glow flared to life and illuminated the squad's dirty faces. They were outnumbered and outmaneuvered.

"Copy that. **Idai** , let's roll," confirmed Syra. Her gleaming smile loosened up the knot of anxiety that had settled into Kara's chest. Kara took a deep breath and signaled the squad to move. They burst forward through the underbrush in a blur of movement, their heavy boots leaving five sets of child sized Kryptonian footprints in the mud.

A roar of a bomb dropping close by was the only warning as an unnatural wave of dirt and leaves blew past them and nearly knocked them off their feet. "Move, move, move!" Kara called, pulling forward into a full sprint. The alarms on their HUDs blared as they sprinted forward, leaping off of a cliff and onto the gathered mass of enemies holding their extraction point. A five minute countdown initiated in sync on their HUD.

Kara felt the sting of Char fire, their laser weapons shooting rapidly at her squad as they hit the soft ground with heavy thuds. Her blade sang through the air as she neatly disabled the alien in front of her then pulled Thara into cover behind her. Thara's pot shots were clearing up the extraction point just ahead, as Kara and Syra kept the now swarming torquats away. As Kara pulled Thara to relative safety, she felt the icy burn of torquat fangs sink into the back of her calf. She cried out and shot the beast with her sidearm at close range. Her distraction cost her dearly.

Time slowed down. Kell-Ur and Jaq-Van locked back to back in a form of tandem Horu-Kanu, their blades slicing in parallel arcs through the continuous waves of Char. Kara felt her shields shatter around her as her distraction caused Char laserfire to focus in on her. The thick smell of sickly sweet decaying plant matter and the acidic stench of Char blood made it through her helmet filters.

0:23. Kara could feel the numbing pain of the poisonous Toquat bite running up her leg, immobilizing her in place. Kara choked down her scream. The information node on her wrist hummed.

0:22. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and her eyes tracked the anti-aircraft weapon the Char had mounted nearby as it turned to her in what seemed like slow motion. The ratta-tat-tat of Thara taking sniper shots at the gunner reported in her ear. Kara closed her eyes.

0:21. _Rao forgive me._ The deafening sound of the AA gun rang throughout the decaying jungle, but the pain never hit her. Kara's eyes snapped open, ready to finish the fight. When the shouts of her squad registered.

"SYRA!" Syra stood, her arms extended maybe 10 paces in front of Kara in between her leader and the AA gun, a circle of Char and torquat bodies surrounded her. Syra's shields shattered, revealing the bowl sized hole in the middle of her chest. Her body and shields had absorbed the AA gun fire instead of letting it take off Kara's head. Thara's rifle reported again, this time dropping the gunner and clearing the extraction zone.

Kara froze as Syra's knees gave out and she slumped over dead where she had stood. Kara heard an unholy sound echo as she scrambled to Syra's side, her blade ruthlessly cutting down the nearby enemies. The sound was distracting, so she missed the alarm of the extraction timer going off and the cries of the rest of her squad. Kara retracted her blade and picked up Syra's body, holding her close to her chest.

"KARA ZOR-EL, WE MUST GO," a familiar voice shouted, cutting through the unholy cry. Kara looked up from Syra's wide dead eyes to her Uncle's helmeted visage before her, dripping Char blood. Kara realized the unholy cry was her screaming as Non yanked her to her feet and covered her escape, her arms still holding her fallen squadmate.

 _The Might of Mordo_ locked onto her biorhythms and with a swish, Kara was beamed aboard the flagship. Kara collapsed with a cry next to her Uncle, the rest of her squad surrounding her instantly. Non's voice crisply ordered for someone to find the General, and to meet them in the medical bay as a nearby officer attempted to remove the dead Kryptonian girl from the teleporter pad. Kara tried to strike the officer, only for her arm to be caught by Non and hauled to her feet; Syra's body hit the floor with a wet thud.

Kara felt herself being carried to the med bay, her leg a mauled mess and her shoulder riddled with small pen-sized holes from Char fire. The smell of antiseptic caused Kara to gag as Non gently deposited her in the regeneration chamber and yanked the information node free from her forearm. The General appeared only moments before Kara succumbed to the anesthetic properties of the regen chamber. Two armored gloved hands unlocked Kara's helmet and pulled it free, revealing fever-bright blue eyes to the imposing woman.

"Oh, Little One," was the last thing Kara heard before she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Kar? I know what happened during the Arkonian Blitz hurt. I know. But baby not everyone who loves you is going to leave you. Not me. Not ever. If twelve years, homicidal family members, and an incredibly awkward media storm can't scare me away. Nothing will. Come here, I've got you."

Alex slowly pulled the cape off of Kara's shoulders. Then the belt and boots. She snagged the hidden zipper near the collar and dragged it down, checking Kara's face of signs of protest. Kara just nodded and leaned heavily against Alex.

Alex continued until she hit the mid section and helped Kara shrug off the top part of her suit, revealing Kara's chiseled abs and abdominal scarring. Alex traced the scratch marks and the stab wound before finding the next zipper and dragging Kara's pants down to her ankles. Kara, in just her sports bra and panties, looked up at Alex with big eyes.

"You're so beautiful, Kara Zor-El," Alex murmured, stepping out of her boots. She stumbled slightly as she undressed in an effort to keep eye contact with Kara.

Kara's eyes dilated, taking in the sight of her bondma-girlfr-Alex. _Gorgeous_.

Alex pushed Kara back firmly and snuggled in on top of her, letting the skin on skin contact calm Kara down. Alex inhaled and exhaled, smiling softly at the newfound intimacy of the soft feel of Kara's weight beneath her.

"Kara, let's not worry about this anymore, okay? We'll play it by ear and figure it out as we go. Apparently, almost everyone thinks we're married anyway, including the media."

Kara chuckled and combed a hand through Alex's newly dyed locks.

"I'll try. It's not something I can just get over overnight, you know."

"I know Kar. I'd hate to admit it, but maybe talking to Dr. Hart would be good for you, too," Alex suggested.

"The DEO psychiatrist? You think?"

"Of course. She knows what she's doing and she already has the appropriate clearance. I could help you set it up. Just think about it okay?" Alex replied.

"Okay. Hey, Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"What are we going to do about the media thing?" Kara asked, her voice small.

"Well. Vasquez has completely scrubbed Alexandra Danvers from the internet. My file's been nearly completely redacted for government usage. We both have standby identities ready to go in case they do manage to identify one of us," Alex explained.

"Is J'onn going to pull you from Operations?" Kara asked, looking stricken. Alex immediately began to soothe her.

"No, Kar. R&D made me a new suit to go with my Agent X persona and a helmet to help protect my identity. Apparently Oversight is considering making me the face, or rather the helmet of the DEO. It's not perfect, but I think it will work."

Kara looked far away.

"We'll finally get a chance to use our tandem forms in fights now. The suit has incredible safety features, and now that I have access to a Kryptonian lab, I can make it even better. You and me, the dream team," Alex continued with an excited smile beginning to form.

"You and me," Kara agreed, pulling Alex in for a kiss, then dimming the lights with her other hand.

"Always."

* * *

 _Elsewhere, Earth, Two Days Post Super X Incident_

The room was dark and quiet. No one dared to move as Astra's tall form stalked back and forth in front of the screens. Non shot a glare at the nearest Kryptonians, who slowly took a half a step back out of the immediate range of Astra's fury.

Astra reeled her fist back and slammed it into the wall of their base. The wall immediately began to crumble in small chunks from the spiderweb pattern left by Astra's fist.

"How did he manage to live?" Astra spat, flicking the debris from her hands.

Non glanced up at the screens, watching the form hoverwalk through Kara Zor-El's mate's empty residence. His inky black hair and scarred face were barely visible under the deep red hoodie he was wearing. The Kryptonian pocketed something from the bedside drawer, then looked around before making eye contact with the bug planted in the bedroom wall. The video cut out, then began to replay.

"General, what would you like us to do?" asked Astra's youngest lieutenant.

Astra's head snapped to his direction and crushed the debris she had been holding. Two more of the gathered honor guard took a step back, leaving the lieutenant the only one in Astra's direct path. He stood firm as Astra activated the yellow glowing sword in her hand. He didn't flinch as the sword arced until the tip sat on his collar.

No one moved. A drop of blood welled up beneath the sword, then another.

Astra deactivated the sword, retracting the blade into the handle, then pressed it into his hand.

The Ze ancestral sword felt heavy in his tight grip. The legendary _Mordo's Fang_ , the last of its kind.

"You know Kru-El as well as I do, Jaq-Van. Find him, and kill him."

* * *

 **END PEOPLE GONNA TALK**

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Welp, that's it for People Gonna Talk. I hope everyone enjoyed the ride. I know it's been a long wait for the whole thing to be completed, so thank you all for sticking around. As always a special thanks to my amazing beta, beaglesinbowties. I wouldn't be able to do it without you. I would really appreciate any comments on what you thought of the story and what you'd be interested in seeing in a possible sequel. To read more about concepts or characters I developed for PGT please visit my tumblr tagged/pgt.

 **Kryptonese Rough Translations** :

Idai: Sergeant, military rank, feminine: Kara's initial rank within the military guild as a graduate from Argos City Military Academy.

Klurkor: Kryptonian Karate

Horu-Kanu: deadly Kryptonian fighting style

Torquat: vaguely dog/lion like beast with porcupine like hair

Ieium: another word for mother, denoting status

Funling: puppy


End file.
